Two Worlds Collide
by miixaoo
Summary: She was living in a world she never wanted to be apart of and he was her escape. Full summary inside
1. Trailer

The story has nothing to do with Demi's song the story is titled after… it was just a catchy title. lol

This is legal so don't even give me crap about writing about real people... It's set in the Hannah Montana world... except Miley is not Hannah and the Jonas Brothers were on the show.

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**Two Worlds Collide**

**What do you do when the one world you live in,**

_shows Miley being waited on by servants_

_flashes to her being followed by paparazzi_

"Heiress Miley Stewart was seen shopping around the city earlier today. The question everyone is wondering is where her new arm candy was and why wasn't he with her?"

**Where people want to be your friend because of your name**

_shows Miley standing on the sidewalk with a blonde_

"Oh my god Miley!" a strange blonde girl exclaimed as she pulled a startled Miley into a hug. "I haven't seen you in forever! How are you?"

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" Miley questioned.

**And the boys only date you because of your fame**

_shows Miley at the door of the restaurant with a handsome brunette_

"Thank you for dinner," Miley said as she was getting ready to climb into the car. "I had a lot of fun tonight."

_shows her date pinning her against the side of the care and kissing her as the paparazzi take pictures_

"What are you doing?" a furious Miley gasped after successfully pushing him away. But before he could answer her question, she connected her palm with his cheek before getting into the car and slamming the door shut.

**Is the one world you would do anything possible to leave behind**

_shows Miley sneaking away from her father's dinner party_

_flashes to Miley and a blonde girl sitting in her room_

"I never asked for any of this," Miley exclaimed as she buried her face into a pillow

**And meet people who liked you for who you are**

_shows Miley bumping into a stranger_

"I am so sorry," she quickly apologized, bending down to help the stranger pick up his things she had knocked over. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"It's okay," he replied, helping her stand up. "I'm Nick."

She stared at his outstretched hand before placing her own into his. My name is Destiny."

**Where you were finally able to be free and live**

_shows Miley and Nick talking to each other_

"What do you mean you have never been on a Ferris wheel?" Nick asked incredulously, staring at Miley like she had two heads.

She shrugged in response. "I never had the opportunity to ride one."

_shows Nick dragging Miley by the arm to the entrance of the fair_

**A story of two strangers, who help each other figure out what their purpose in life is suppose to be.**

**Starring**

**Miley Stewart**

"I just want to be normal."

**Nick Jonas**

"You are one deprived human being."

**Robby Ray Stewart**

"This will all be yours one day."

**Lily Truscott**

"It's like a modern day fairy tale."

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I am currently writing the second chapter of the story at the moment; I'm trying a different approach to the writing style so I'm taking my time to make sure it's perfect. So for now… I'll wait for ten reviews before I put up the first chapter. This is the first and only time I'll ever be asking for reviews before I update but I just want to make sure people will be interested in the story before I waste my time and write. If there are enough reviews... I'll try to update before the week is over. So review!


	2. Chapter 1

**I hope everyone had a very nice Christmas and got all the presents they wanted! I'm up north this holiday and got my first white Christmas. It was great... up until the point I slipped and fell. But it was still fun... I got my nieces the Disney Singit! game and we played that all night... and all day the next day. **

**So here it is... the first installment of the story. It's not much and there's no plot yet, but it's still something.**

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A person's rank among the hierarchy of social classes is determined at the moment of birth, whether they like the particular class they are ranked in or not. Then for the rest of their life, they either choose to conform to or rebel against the social norms of their specific class. Depending on the particular lifestyle, a person may be handed everything they would ever want and more on a silver platter from the moment of their first breathe while others have to work their fingers to the bone their whole lives to even get a glimpse of the life they could only dream about having. But contrary to popular beliefs, being a part of the highest social class' inner circle is not everything it is believed to be. To some people it is more of a burden than a benefit and unlike the majority of the world; they only wish to be a normal person, if only for a day.

"Heiress to the multi-billion dollar empire her father created, Miley Stewart was seen roaming along the streets of New York arm in arm with a mysterious blonde man. Witnesses who saw the new couple have told us that the two were very affectionate with each ot-"

Miley shut off the TV, tired of hearing another one of many gossip segments about her lunch meeting with a cousin who was in town on a business trip. The world, or at least the celebrity world, was a strange and unusual place when a lunch date with a cousin who once terrorized you when you were younger turned into a hot date with a mysterious blonde; strange indeed.

But this was a part of her life whether she wanted it to be or not.

The sound of a knock on the bedroom door caused her to turn her attention to her closed door. "Come in."

"Good evening Miss Stewart," a blonde haired maid greeted as she wheeled a cart filled with covered plates containing her dinner into Miley's sitting room of her suite. "You're father is busy at the office and wanted you to go ahead and have dinner without him."

"Thank you Traci," Miley said, walking over to her table where Traci was setting up her dinner. "And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Miley? Miss Stewart makes me sound old and I'm too young to sound old."

"Of course," the girl replied with a sheepish look on her face. "I'm sorry Miss Ste-"

"Nuh uh," Miley said while raising a palm into the air, stopping Traci from finishing her apology. "What did I just say?"

"Miley," the blonde haired girl quickly corrected. "I'm sorry Miss Miley."

Miley smiled at the girl who looked to be about only twenty. "I guess that's some progress." She sat down at the table, gesturing to Traci to take a seat next to her. "Why don't you sit down with me? We can talk and get to know each other."

The blonde girl stood standing by the cart, looking hesitantly at the chair Miley had pointed to. She was told to never overstep her role as a servant, but she was also told to never disobey her employer. Deciding that it would be far worst to go against Miley's wishes, she timidly approached the chair and sat down.

"Out of all the girls that have worked for my family, you took the longest to take a seat," Miley laughed, taking a bite of her meal. "So how long have you been working here? I don't think I have seen you around here that long."

"Um… no, not long." Traci answered, fidgeting in her seat out of nervousness. "About three weeks now."

"I see," Miley contemplated, nodding her head. "How do you like it here so far?"

"It's been great," she replied genuinely. "My friend who also works here told me to apply for a job with your family. She always talks very highly of you and your father."

"Well I'm glad to hear that." Miley smiled, finishing the last of her dinner. Although her dad was hardly ever home, she took it upon herself to get to know or at least learn the names of everyone who worked for the Stewart household hoping to make them feel welcomed. "So tell me, how old are you?"

"I just turned twenty-one a few weeks ago."

"That's cool, I turn twenty-one in two months," Miley answered, truly fascinated with the girl sitting beside her. "What did you do for your birthday?

"I was actually working on my birthday, but my friends were kind enough to throw me a surprise party." Miley listened intently as Traci recounted everything that happened that night. She was feeling comfortable talking to her boss, acting like they were friends.

Miley found herself envying the close relationship Traci and her friends possessed. She could only wish to have friends that would go through all the trouble of planning a birthday party for her. Her father was the one that usually threw a party for her and although he meant well, they usually turned out to be business dinners for his clients.

For the next hour and a half, Miley and Traci talked about everything from boys to what they liked to do on their spare time. Together they decided that Robert Pattinson made vampires irresistibly instead of scary and that Chace Crawford was a major cutie but most likely a big womanizer. Traci found it interesting how easy it was to talk to Miley. She had heard that the Stewart heiress was different and not just some spoiled rich brat, but she didn't believe it until tonight. Tonight she learned that Miley Stewart was just like her in most ways, except she had a fortune or two to her name. But other than that, she was your typical twenty-year old who liked to shop and spend time with what friends she did have.

-xox-

Miley was awoken out of her peaceful dream by an incessant and obnoxious knocking on her bedroom door. Wanting to stay in bed for a few more hours, she ignored the person on the other side of the closed door and snuggled deeper into her soft, goose-feather pillows. But just as she was about to slip back into unconsciousness, the sound of the door opening and heels clicking across her hardwood floors woke her up a second time that morning.

"Good morning Miley," her personal assistant annoyingly greeted as she opened the curtains to let the sun shine into the room. "It's time to get up; it's a beautiful day outside."

Groaning, Miley pulled the covers over her head to block out the irritatingly bright sun. She had yet to figure out just how it was possible for a person to be so giddy before eight in the morning. "Just one more hour Mia, please."

Mia shook her head at the lump that was Miley, amused that she was still going through this same routine even after two years. "I'm sorry Miley. But you have the meeting with the coordinator of the children's hospital to be at for ten, and your father would also like for you to stop by the office afterwards."

For another much needed minute, Miley laid in bed with her eyes closed and tried to make herself believe that it was all a dream before failing and sluggishly crawling out of her warm and comfortable bed. "Breakfast will be on the table when you are done," Mia informed her as she walked out of the room, leaving Miley to get ready for the day.

An hour later, Miley walked out of her bedroom and into her sitting area of her suite, dressed in a pair of fitted black pants and a black blouse to find breakfast ready for her. Sitting down at the table, she ate while Mia went over her schedule for the day. "After the children's hospital you'll have lunch at 12:30. Then you'll head to the office at 2:00 to meet your father and after that you are done for the day."

Although having her day planned out institutionalized her days and made her life rather dull and unexciting, she wouldn't know what to do without them. For as far back as she could remember, she always had plans and ran on a schedule to get through the day.

Leaving her house at exactly 9:30, Miley was driven to the children's hospital where she met up with the director.

"Good morning Miss Stewart," a smiling man who looked to be in his fifties greeted her as she walked through the entrance, offering his hand for her to shake. "My name is Harold Grant. We here at the hospital wanted to say thank you for coming to visit us this morning and for your family's generous donation."

Miley smiled in return, taking his offered hand. "It was not a problem Mr. Grant, we were glad to be able to help the children and hospital."

He ushered her into his office where they went over the plans for the expansion to the hospital. The new center was going to be dedicated to Miley and be named the Stewart Research Center. After the meeting, Miley took some time to walk around the hospital and visit with some of the children before leaving to head to lunch.

At precisely two, Miley was walking through the doors of her father's company. She walked across the lobby and rode the elevator up to the fourteenth floor, being met by a string of 'good morning Miss Stewart' from a number of the workers. Smiling politely to them, she came to a stop at the door of her father's office and knocked lightly.

"Come in."

Opening the door, she found her dad seated behind his desk. "Hey dad."

"Hey sweetie," he answered back, putting down the folder he was currently looking at. "How has your morning been going?"

"Pretty good. I had a meeting with Mr. Grant at the children's hospital today. He predicts that the center will be done in a couple of months and he would also like for both of us to be at the opening."

"That sounds good. I'll have to see how my schedule is before I commit to the opening though," her father said, getting up from his seat to walk around the desk. "I want to show you something, follow me."

Miley got up from the chair she had just sat down in and followed beside her father as he walked down the hall, curious to see what he wanted to show her. He stopped abruptly in front of a closed door, making Miley almost walk into him. "I know you have been working really hard for the company, and so I wanted to give you something in return."

Stepping to the side, he opened the door to a nearly empty office. Aside from a desk and chair, the room was lacking in personality except for the wall to wall window with a breathtaking view of New York City on the back wall. Taking just one step inside, she stopped to read the name on the door. "Miley Stewart, President of External Affairs."

"That's right," her father said as he guided her all the way into her brand new office. "This is all yours."

"Oh…" was all Miley was able to work out at the moment. She was just a little stunned. They had never talked about her actually joining the company, or holding any President roles before. She had been content with just working on projects when her dad asked her too.

"I was going to wait until your birthday to give you the good news, but I just couldn't wait that long," he exclaimed with a wide smile that lit up his whole face. He looked like a kid in a candy store, the 'I can't be more proud of you' look on his face.

"Thank you dad," she said stiffly, not wanting to hurt his feelings by refusing his offer.

"There's no need to thank me," he said as he pulled her into a bear hug. "One day this is all going to be yours."

"Mine…" she gulped, forcing a smile on her face as he spent some time showing her around the office. Her office. There were two doors on the left wall, a private bathroom behind one and a small walk in closet behind another. Leaving Miley standing in the middle of the room while she tried to soak in the big news, her father left for a meeting with a client.

"Miley?" she heard someone call, along with a knock on the door. "Are you okay?"

Miley turned towards the door with a small smile on her face. "I'm fine Mia, just a little overwhelmed right now."

Her personal assistant stood staring at Miley for a moment, studying her blank face. She had been working with Miley long enough to know when something was bothering her; but although they were close, Miley never talked about her problems with Mia. So Mia let it go. "Well you are done for the day. Why don't you call Lily and go do something tonight?"

"Yeah…" Miley said, nodding in agreement as she walked towards the door to leave. "I think that sounds like a really good idea right now.

-xox-

Walking out of the bathroom after changing out of her work clothes and into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, Miley slipped on a pair of her favorite converses before heading downstairs. She stopped momentary at Mia's office before leaving. "I'm heading out; you should go leave and go home too."

"Do you need me to call a driver for you before I go?" she asked as she gathered her belongings to go home to her waiting family.

"No, that's okay. I feel like driving today," Miley replied, waiting to walk outside with Mia.

They parted ways when they reached Mia's car in the driveway. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Have fun tonight," Mia said with a serious look on her face, pulling out the motherly role on Miley. "You have been working for the past two weeks so enjoy yourself tonight. You deserve it."

Miley smiled, nodding her head. "I promise I will."

She waved at Mia before turning to walk to the garage on the side of the house. Picking up the keys to the car from the key cabinet, she climbed into the black SUV before driving down the driveway. Reaching for her phone, she texted Lily that she was going to be late before taking a short detour.

After making a quick pit stop at a flower show, she walked across the green grass with a bunch of sunflowers in her hand. Kneeling down in front of the marble stone, she laid the bouquet of flowers down before running her hand across the name: Susan Stewart.

"Hey mom," she greeted, with a hint of sadness in her voice. "I bought you your favorite flowers."

She sat down, bending her legs to sit Indian style. "So dad made me President of External Affairs for the company today. Basically I'll be planning dad's events for a living."

"I don't really know how I feel about it just yet though. I should be happy right?" she sighed, picking at the blades of grass at her feet. "But for some reason, happy was the last emotion I felt when dad showed me my office. It's beautiful, you would have loved the view of the city I have."

Miley often came out to the cemetery to talk out her feelings in the presence of her mother. There was no one else she trusted more to tell her secrets to. Through the years, she's learned the hard way that friends were often quick to sell you out to the media if you couldn't please them in the ways they wanted.

"You should have seen him mom. He was just so happy. I didn't want to hurt his feelings by telling him I didn't want to be a part of the company. He's so set on me taking over for him one day."

She wiped at the tears that were forming in the corner of her eyes. "But that's not my dream. I don't want to run the company," she exclaimed. "I want to travel to Europe and work on my photography. I want to be known for my art and maybe one day have my work featured in an art gallery."

She sat a little while longer talking to her mother, deciding that she had kept Lily waiting long enough when the sun was starting to set. Standing up, she brushed the debris off of her jeans. "I miss you mom… things just aren't the same without you around."

Placing a kiss on the cold marble, she ran her hand across her mother's name on last time before leaving for Lily's house.

-xox-

Putting the car into park after pulling into Lily's driveway, she took some time to reapply her makeup, making sure it didn't look like she had just been crying before heading towards the front door.

"Hello Miss Stewart," the butler greeted once he opened the door, letting Miley into the house. "Miss Truscott is in the sitting room."

"Thank you Gerald," she said as she walked into the house and towards the sitting room.

"Hey Miles," Lily greeted as she took a seat on the couch. "I was wondering if you were still coming over."

Miley gave her an apologetic smile, taking a sip of the cup of tea in front of her. "Sorry Lily, I had to make a quick stop and I guess I lost track of time."

"It's okay, I was just joking," Lily said, flipping the channels on the TV. "So… what do you want to do tonight? Movies? Dinner?"

"How about we just stay in tonight?" Miley suggested. She really was a homebody. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

If Miley believed in having best friends, Lily would be it. They have known each other since they were both in diapers. Although Miley didn't tell her deepest, darkest secrets to Lily, she still talked to her about a lot of things because in some ways she could relate.

"I'm okay with that," Lily responded as she curled her feet under her to get comfortable. "So what have you really been up to instead of going on lunch dates with your cousin?"

"You saw that?" Miley asked. She put her head in her hands out of embarrassment, trying to hide the blush that was starting to stain her cheeks.

Lily laughed, nodded her head. "Who could miss it? Your pictures were all over the magazines and on all the celebrity news channels."

"Story of my life," Miley groaned. "No, I've been working on a project for my dad these past couple of weeks."

"Hmm… I didn't know about that."

Miley laughed, kicking off her own shoes and getting comfortable. "Of course not. My lunch dates are far more important than a research center for the city's children's hospital."

Lily laughed at Miley's sarcasm. She was never the one to take criticism to heart; she always saw the brighter side of things and no matter what anyone said about her, she continued to do what she thought was right.

"How's the boyfriend department?" she asked, deciding to change the subject.

"Closed and under construction," Miley joked, laughing at her own joke.

"What happened to that Justin guy?"

Miley shrugged her shoulders, trying to come off as nonchalant. "He got the modeling jobs he wanted and I never heard from him again."

"I'm sorry Miles," Lily apologized, for both the situation and for bringing up the subject.

"It's okay, really," Miley said, fidgeting with her fingers. She didn't like to come off as vulnerable, especially when it came to guys. "Look at it this way, I helped further his career."

Lily smiled, unsure as to whether she was being sarcastic or serious. Her friend just never seemed to be phased by all the guys that only showed interest in her to get into the entertainment industry. She was simultaneously being used by guys and being called a serial dater by the public, but she never wanted to be treated as a victim.

"How are you and Oliver doing?" Miley asked Lily, trying to take the attention off of her.

"We're doing fine," Lily said, trying not to hurt her feelings and rub her successful relationship into her face. "He's been working a lot so I don't get to see him much."

"It's still nice to have someone," Miley said.

Lily noticed the sad look in her eyes. Even if Miley was the most independent person she knew, everyone wants someone to dote on them every once in awhile. "Don't worry Miley, there's some cute guy out there who is just waiting to pamper you with attention," she said in hopes of lifting her friend's spirits.

"Yeah, I know," she said, giving Lily a smile to reassure her that she was really okay. "Let's just see how long it takes for him to find me."

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**So... how torturous was that? lol... I promise Nick appears in the next chapter so until then... review and make me happy!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Happy belated New Years everyone! I tried to update yesterday but I ended up sleeping half the day from staying up till 4 in the morning playing rockband to celebrate the new year... lol But I hope everyone had a good New Years and hopefully 2009 will be great! **

**Anyways... this is the second chapter... and as planned there is Nick in this one!**

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When you love someone, you often overlook your own happiness to ensure that person's happiness. Even if it may mean that you have to sacrifice you dreams and goals to reorganize your life and adapt to their dreams for you without a single complaint. You may be relinquishing your plans to live the rest of your life doing something you despise just to please the one you love. That is a selfless kind of love.

-xox-

Today was exactly the one month mark since Miley started working for her father's investment company. She was currently sitting at her desk which was cluttered with various stacks of paper. Mia, her personal assistant, was sitting on the other side of the desk, looking through a binder filled with papers. Both women were held captive in Miley's office while the view behind them taunted them with a beautiful and sunny day outside. But instead of spending the day basking in the warm sun, they were busy with putting the finishing touches on the charity banquet Miley was throwing at the end of the week to help raise more money for the children's hospital.

"Have you decided on the color of the linens yet?" Mia asked as she went down the list of details they needed to finalize.

"Go with the cream linens with the gold rimmed plates and gold napkin holders," she answered without looking up from the seating chart she was working on. "Do you have the final list of guests who will be attending?"

"Yes, I do…" Mia replied as she rummaged through the event binder before handing the located papers to Miley. "All but a handful of the big named celebrities have committed to coming and the ones who are not attending have sent a contribution instead."

"Good," Miley said, never once losing her concentration. "We need to call the caterers, the wait staff, the rental company, and the banquet hall to double ch-"

She was interrupted midsentence by the sound of a knock on the door. Both of their heads turned towards the door to see her father's head pop in.

"Sorry to interrupt," he apologized as he stepped into the office. "I was wondering if it would be okay to steal my daughter away and take her to lunch."

Miley laughed, getting up from her chair to grab her things from her closet. "Sure thing dad."

"Is that okay with you Mia?" he joked. "I wouldn't want to interrupt all the hard work."

"It's fine with me Mr. Stewart," she replied with a smile. "I was getting kinda sick of her anyways."

"Alright, enough picking on me," Miley interrupted as she pulled on her blazer. "Why don't you get some lunch and we'll resume work when we come back."

"Sounds like a plan," Mia replies as she started to gather her things to leave.

"Meet you back here in an hour and a half, two hours tops." Mia nodded in agreement, waiting for Miley and her father to leave so she could lock up and head down to the deli on the corner of the street.

-xox-

"Table for two," Robby Ray told the hostess of the Italian restaurant they were at.

"Right this way Mr. and Miss Stewart," she said as she headed towards the booth at the back of the restaurant. She waited until they were seated before placing their menus in front of them. "Your server will be by shortly."

It wasn't long after the hostess left them for their waiter to come by and take their orders. Miley looked at her surroundings after the waiter left, noticing how little had changed since the last time she was here with both of her parents. This was their favorite restaurant to come to as a family.

"So this is nice," her father said, causing Miley to turn her attention back to him. "We haven't really had time to sit down and eat together for the past couple of weeks."

Miley nodded in agreement, giving her dad one of the smiles he loved to see. "How has work been going for you?"

"It's going fine," Miley answered, shrugging her shoulders. "Nothing to complain about."

"That's good," he said, studying her ace for a moment. He couldn't help but notice how she was starting to look like her mother more and more as the days passed.

Before he could say anything else, their food arrived and they both ate in silence. Talking was always her mother's strong point. They had never been on a level where they told each other everything because he was always working, and the distance between them only got larger after the death of her mother. After awhile he noticed her playing with her food and attempted to start a conversation with her.

"So your birthday is in a little over a month."

Miley stopped playing with her food, setting her fork down before looking up at her dad. "I guess it is. I've been so busy with work I guess I lost track of what day it is," she said, fidgeting with her hands on her lap.

"Work does that to you," he said, smiling at her. Although she had her mother's looks and personality, her work ethics came from him. "I use to get so caught up with work and forget what day it was all the time. Your mom got so frustrated that she started to leave me post-it notes around the house with the date on them."

Miley started laughing, her dad joining in soon after. "That sounds like something mom would do."

Spending a little more time recounting stories about her mother, they left the restaurant and headed back to work soon after. Parting ways at the elevator, Miley walked back to her office to find Mia on the phone. Waving at her, Miley put her things back in her closet before taking a seat behind her desk and waiting patiently for Mia to be finished, working on the seating chart once again.

"Hey," Mia said, making Miley jump. She had been so concentrated that she didn't even hear Mia end her conversation. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's okay," Miley replied, trying to calm her racing heart. "I must have been in my own seating chart world."

"Well," Mia laughed. "I called all the placed to double check that they had the right time and date and everything is good to go."

"Great, thank you," Miley said, putting the last name tag on the chart. "And I am finally done with the seating."

They went on to discussing all the last minute details. It only took an hour for Miley to start getting distracted and stare out the window that overlooked New York City.

"Miley? Miles?" Mia called out after not getting a response to a question, trying to get her attention. "Miley?"

Finally breaking out of her trance, Miley turned away from the window. "I'm sorry Mia," she apologized as she tried to shake the fogginess out. "Can you repeat that? I didn't catch the question."

Mia studied Miley's face for a moment, seeing the dullness in her eyes. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off? I'll finish up here."

"No, I'm fine," she argued.

"Right…" Mia replied as she walked into Miley's closet. Coming back out, she placed a camera into Miley's hands. "Why don't you go over to Central Park and go exploring."

Miley stared at the object in her hands. She had a weakness when it came to photography. "Are you sure?"

Mia smiled in triumph. "I'm sure. We're almost done anyways."

"Well… if you insist," she said, falling prey to the lure of her camera.

"I do, now go," Mia retorted, practically pushing Miley out the door to her own office. Seeing Miley's resolve quickly diminishing, she waved goodbye and shut the door in her face.

-xox-

Wandering through the busy park, Miley walked along the tree-shaded sidewalks. Looking around the scenery through a photographer's eye, she snapped dozens of pictures to add to her ever-growing portfolio. Using the camera to scan the various people on the field, she took pictures of a person playing with their dog and a couple sitting under the shade of the tree. She stopped when she reached a single guy standing on the side watching what she assumed to be his family playing football. His short, curly brown hair was slightly messy and from what she could tell he had a smile on his face. Bringing her camera back up to her eye, she took a profile of the stranger, the clear, blue sky framing him as the sun made him slightly glow.

Viewing the picture she just took, she couldn't help but wonder what his story was. She couldn't explain it, but she felt a pull towards him. Feeling courageous, she decided to go introduce herself but was stopped short when she felt a tug on her slacks. Looking down, she found a girl who looked to be about five with tears in her eyes.

Miley knelt down on one knee to get eye level with the little girl. "Sweetie, are you lost?"

The little girl started crying harder as she nodded her head in response to the question.

"What's your name?" Miley asked as she tried to calm the girl down.

"Sophie," she sniffled.

"Do you know where your mommy might be Sophie?" Miley questioned as she looked around to see if there were any frantic looking mothers around.

"No," the girl answered, tears starting to well up again. "I wanted to go play with the ducks so I ran after them but they kept running away from me so I turned to go back to my mommy but she was gone."

Miley took hold of Sophie's hand as she stood up. "Why don't we walk around and see if we can find her?"

Sophie nodded, using her free hand to wipe her eyes dry. "Do you know which way you came from?"

"That way," Sophie pointed before pulling Miley towards the pathway. Miley made small talk as they walked, asking the girl about her favorite color and what she liked to eat while keeping an eye out for anyone who could look like Sophie's mother. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw some paparazzi following her but chose to ignore them and kept walking.

"Sophie!" she heard someone call out from behind her as the little girl broke free of her hand.

"Momma!" she squealed, running into the outstretched arms of the woman.

"Oh thank the lord," Sophie's mom exclaimed as she held her daughter to her. The intimate mother-daughter scene made Miley think of her own mother and the time she had gotten lost in the store.

"Thank you so much. I don't know how I could ever repay you," the mother thanked, gasping in shock when she saw who had brought her daughter back to her. "Miley Ste-Stewart?"

Miley was already accustomed to this type of reaction from people. Smiling, she shook the woman's hand as the paps went wild for pictures. "I was more than happy to help Sophie here find her mother."

The woman gulped, still staring in awe at Miley. "Sophie say thank you to Miss Stewart."

The little girl stepped out of her mother's embrace and walked over to Miley, wrapping her short arms around her Miley's legs. "Thank you Miss Stewart."

Smiling, Miley unwrapped Sophie's arms from around her and knelt down to get a proper hug. "You are very welcome," she replied, ruffling the little girl's brown hair. "No more leaving your mom okay?"

Sophie nodded before walking back to her mother's side, who thanked Miley a couple of more times before leaving. Throughout the whole ordeal, the paparazzi were busy snapping away on their cameras. Miley smiled dutifully, waving politely at them before heading home, her photography forgotten for the day.

-xox-

Sitting on the couch in the sitting room of her suite, Miley looked over the pictures she had taken at the park today while the TV played in the background. Scrolling through the various stills, she stopped when she reached the picture of the curly haired stranger. He looked so carefree and happy. The sound of her name coming from the TV caused her to break her gaze from the picture and turn her attention towards the television.

"Good Samaritan, Miley Stewart was seen running around Central Park this afternoon helping a lost little girl look for her mother. The heartfelt reunion was caught on tape by our filed reporter for our viewers to witness."

Miley watched the incident, seeing the little girl's face light up when she heard the sound of her mother's voice. It reminded her of all the times she would run down the stairs when she heard her mother calling her name after she came home from work. Feeling a little down from the memories of her mom, she decided to go look for Traci and have some girl talk.

-Miley's Birthday-

Miley had been so swamped with work that she was practically the walking form of exhaustion. She no longer could tell one day from the next, much less the actual date, even if it was her birthday today. By the time four o'clock came around and it was finally time to go home, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep until morning. Walking into her closet, she put on her jacket and grabbed her purse right before Mia walked into her office.

"Hey Miley," she greeted as Miley walked out of her closet. "Your dad wanted to see you before you leave."

Miley internally groaned. "Alright thanks Mia. You can go ahead and go home. I'll just be heading straight to bed after this."

"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow." Mia said as she walked out of the office.

Packing her things, Miley shut off the lights and locked her door before walking down the hall to her father's office. "Dad?" she interrupted, knocking on the open door, causing him to look up.

"Come on in," he said as he waved her in, gesturing for her to take a seat.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked, sitting in the chair he pointed too.

"Oh right," he exclaimed. "Mr. Banner has invited us to a dinner he is having tonight and since he is one of our biggest clients, I have already accepted the invitation."

She internally groaned for the second time in less than ten minutes. Her plan of crawling into bed was officially ruined. "A driver will be taking us to the W Hotel at six so don't be late."

"Sure thing dad," she replied as she forced herself to look somewhat excited, or at least interested. "Did you need anything else? Or can I go home and start getting ready?"

"Oh no, you can go." He said, getting up from his chair to walk her to the door. "I'll see you downstairs at six sharp."

Miley smiled and nodded before heading to the elevator to go home, but not to crawl into her soft bed like she had hoped.

-xox-

"So how do I look?" Miley asked Traci who was sitting on Miley's bed. After a very long bubble bath, she had begrudgingly forced herself to change into a floor length, black dress and a pair of heels with her hair and makeup done.

"Amazing," Traci answered, holding out a set of diamond earrings and a matching necklace for her to wear. In the past two months, Miley had become less of an employer and more of a friend to her.

"Thanks," Miley said as she put on the jewelry Traci had selected for her. Looking around the room, she threw various items she would need into her black clutch. "Okay, I think I'm ready. Walk with me downstairs?"

Traci nodded, climbing off the bed to walk with her. They talked the whole way down about the newest episode of "Gossip Girls" that was on the night before, stopping when they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Have fun tonight," Traci said before leaving to go finish cleaning, stopping momentarily to acknowledge Robby Ray. "Mr. Stewart."

"Goodnight Traci," he said before turning towards his daughter. "Who knew my little girl was such a beautiful young woman."

"Dad…" Miley blushed as he gave her a fatherly hug.

"Ready to go?" he asked after releasing her. She nodded before he opened the door for her, letting her walk out before shutting the front door and ushering her to the car waiting for them.

The driver shut the door once they were both inside, enveloping them with an air of awkwardness. "So…" her father said, trying to break the ice after a few moments of silence. "How was work today?"

"Good," Miley answered, turning her head back towards the window and resumed staring at the passing street lights in silence.

The rest of the car ride went pretty much the same way, an air of awkwardness always present. They both silently breathed a sigh of relief when the car stopped in front of the entrance of the W Hotel. Seeing the crowd of paparazzi waiting to attack outside, Miley put on the biggest smile she could muster before taking the hand her father offered to help her out of the car. The flashes of cameras immediately went off the moment she stepped out, making it hard for her to see two steps in front of her. Saved by the security guard, she was able to regain her breath in time to be startled the moment the doors to the ballroom opened.

"Happy birthday!" the crowd in front of her yelled.

She was assaulted by a big 'Happy 21st Birthday Miley' banner hanging above the stage, where a jazz band was currently playing. Scanning the people's faces, she saw people she knew but never talked to, a few of her father's biggest clients, and some people she had never seen before. But to her relief, she saw Mia, Lily, and Oliver standing in the far corner of the room.

"Happy birthday sweetie," she heard her dad say from beside her.

Turning towards him, she gave him a hug, burying her face into his chest. "Thanks dad," she said, her words muffled by her father's shirt.

Spending the first hour and a half greeting and thanking every single one of the guests who came, she was beyond exhausted by the time she reached the three standing in the corner. "I'm tired."

Mia offered her a glass of champagne. "You look like you need this."

"Thanks," Miley said as she took the glass out of her hand, taking a much needed sip of the bubbly drink. "Thank you guys for coming. You have seriously made my night bearable."

"We're glad we could help," Lily said with a smile. "Plus we wouldn't miss your birthday for the world."

"Well at least you guys remembered. I didn't even know today was my birthday," she confessed, taking another sip of the champagne. "To tell you the truth, I don't really want to be here right now."

"No kidding, you look like you're going to a funeral," Oliver joked, making Miley break out into a real grin.

"You should talk penguin man," Miley retorted, poking fun at his tuxedo. Finishing off the drink, she placed the empty flute on a nearby table and picked up a second one. "Why don't we sit so they can start dinner?"

Agreeing with her, they sat down at a table with her father and a few business clients. Pretending that she was having tons of fun, Miley made small talk with the clients, laughing at their sorry attempts at telling jokes. Halfway through dinner, a cake was brought out as everyone sang her happy birthday. Blushing red from all the attention, she cut the cake and opened her presents.

Most of the guests left shortly after dinner was done, leaving just her father's clients and Mia. Oliver and Lily had already left shortly after everyone else, apologizing to Miley that they had to go meet Lily's parents.

"You can leave Mia," Miley said, offering to save her from any more torture. "I know I would want to leave and go home by now."

"I don't want to leave you here to fend for yourself," Mia said with a smile. "Those old men can be vicious."

Miley smiled, looking over to where her father was talking to his clients and sighed. Since her mother passes away, all her birthdays had been this way. "I don't know how long it will be before we leave. Dad can talk business for hours."

Mia watched Miley as she watched her father at a nearby table. For a girl who was celebrating her twenty-first birthday, she looked miserable. "Why don't you leave," Mia suggested, nudging Miley in the side lightly. "I'll cover for you."

"I can't leave you here," Miley answered.

"Don't worry about me; it will be easier for me to leave. I'll just tell your father that you left with Lily." Mia said, gently pushing Miley towards the door. Robby Ray was too distracted with his work to notice. "Go out the back way so you don't run into the paps."

Miley looked towards her father one last time before turning back to Mia. "I owe you."

"Just give me a raise and we'll be even," Mia joked, pushing Miley out the open door. "It's your birthday, go have some fun."

Miley smiled, giving her a hug. "Thank you so much," she said before heading towards the back exit. "Oh and look out for that raise."

Successfully leaving the hotel undetected, she decided to take Mia's advice and spend the last few hours of her birthday doing something she loved. Heading towards Central Park, she decided to just walk around. When she was a little girl her mother would bring her here every Saturday, and now Miley came here whenever she wanted to have some time to herself. Strolling along the sidewalk, she basked in the beautiful scenery. Too absorbed in her surroundings, she managed to run into another person, falling onto the ground.

-xox-

Nick woke up to the bright sun shining into his room and lazily got ready for another day of work. Now, he was currently standing in a crowded elevator with people who he saw everyday but never said one word to. That was life in New York. Stepping off the elevator, he walked into the break room to get a cup of coffee, nodding his head as a hello to his fellow employees. He busied himself with getting his coffee, overhearing his co-workers' conversation.

"Did you see the dress Miley Stewart was wearing in the magazine today?" he heard one of the women ask.

"Oh that cute red one she wore to the gala?" the woman's companion asked in return. "I wonder where she got it from."

"It's probably from some big name designer and cost a fortune or two."

Nick walked out of the break room, shaking his head at the women's banter. It was a part of his daily routine: come to work, get coffee, hear latest gossip about Miley Stewart, work, and go home. If he had a nickel for every time he heard her name he would be able to quit his job and live comfortably for years.

For as many times as he's heard her name or what she did the day before, Nick wouldn't have been able to pick her out of a group of people. He's maybe seen her picture once, which is surprising considering how often she's in magazines or on the entertainment shows. He tried really hard to not get caught up in the privileged world.

In all honesty, he didn't respect any person who has their life handed to them instead of having to work for their success. To him, they were just given an unfair advantage and if released out into the real world, would not be able to survive. People like Miley Stewart, no matter how much money they gave back to the community as a publicity stunt, were the kind if people who wouldn't know the first thing about real work. Or at least that's what Nick believed was true.

-xox-

After a long and tiring day of sitting behind a desk, Nick left the office before stopping by his apartment to change. Like every Thursday night, he had dinner with his family. Every week one of them would pick a place to eat for the night or for his mom something to cook. Tonight was Kevin's pick; therefore, here they all were, sitting around a table at a sushi restaurant.

"How is everything going Nick?" his mother asked, starting her round of questions.

Nick discreetly shook his head, a simple question like that from his mom translated to something far more complicated. Translation: Have you meant someone you could bring home yet?

"Everything is fine mom, work has been keeping me really busy," Nick answered.

Translation: No mom, I haven't met a girl yet.

He watched her eyebrows furrow in disappointment before moving on to ask another person a question. Nick ate his food quietly, drifting in and out of the conversations going on around the table, starting to feel lonely and left out. Every single one of his family members were coupled off except for him. Even Frankie had brought his girlfriend to dinner. Yet here he was, alone.

But his relationship status was partly his fault. He was a bit of a cynic when it came to falling in love or letting the opposite sex in after a messy breakup. It's been almost two years, but he just wasn't able to meet someone he was truly fascinated with enough to get to know.

"Fortune cookie time!" his older brother, Joe announced as he passed everyone a cookie.

"I'll start," Frankie called, starting their tradition of reading their fortune to the rest of the table. "You will encounter big success this year."

One after another, they broke the cookie in half and read their fortune. No one really believed in them, but it was a Jonas tradition that was enacted every time they had these cookies. Most of the ones tonight ran along the lines similar to Frankie's. Except Joe's who told him his fortune was on vacation at the moment. That one made everyone chuckle, except for Joe who demanded to have another cookie because his first fortune was lame.

"Alright Nick, it's your turn," his father announced.

"You will have a chance meeting with Destiny," Nick read before putting the piece of paper with the rest of his trash, never taking a second glance at it.

After dinner, Nick said goodbye to his family before deciding to walk back to his apartment instead of riding a taxi. It was healthier and saves him money, plus it was a nice night out. There was a cool breeze and if you squinted really hard, you could make out faint traces of the stars in the sky. Walking past Central Park on the way home, he had a sudden urge to take a detour and walk through it even though his place was only two blocks down.

He walked in peace, finding comfort in the racket of the bustling city. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath of somewhat fresh air. Exhaling, he opened his eyes in time to see a woman crash into him.

"Ooof…" she squeaked as she started falling backwards. Instinctively, his arms reached out to wrap around her waist and stop her from making contact with the cement sidewalk.

The brunette opened her eyes, looking around in a panic before her blue eyes met his brown ones. "I'm so sorry," she quickly apologized as she tried to stand on her own two feet. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

Realizing his arms were still around her waist, he quickly dropped them to his sides, blushing in the process. "It's okay. I wasn't exactly watching where I was going either."

"I'm sorry again," she apologized a second time while straightening out her dress. She was waiting for him to recognize who she was and either freak out or try to make a move on her. But it never happened.

"Are you okay?" Nick asked her, trying to look for any trace of pain. "Does anything hurt?"

"No, I'm alright," she answered him. "Are you okay? I didn't manage to hurt you or anything did I?"

Nick laughed, shaking his head. She was the one who almost got acquainted with the ground while he didn't even move an inch and she thought she had managed to hurt him. "Nope, I'm still in one piece," he replied with a smile. "I guess you're lucky, I don't have to serve you with a lawsuit."

Miley laughed at his joke, Nick soon joining in. "Well thank you for saving my life tonight. It was nice bumping into you… uh…"

"Nick," he answered. "Nick Jonas."

"It was a pleasure meeting you Nick Jonas. Maybe we'll be lucky enough to run into each other again, except without actually running into each other like I did tonight." Miley rambled, blushing when she realized she was talking nonsense. "I'll see you around then."

"Wait," Nick exclaimed before she could turn and walk away. "You know my name; it's only fair that you tell me yours."

Miley gave him a questioning look. She thought he would have dropped the charade by now, but when she looked at him, he genuinely looked like he didn't know who she was. "My name's Destiny," she said, testing him by giving him the name her mother use to call her.

"Well it was nice to meet you Destiny," he said, giving her a warm smile. He didn't know why, but he had a desire to get to know her.

_You will have a chance meeting with Destiny._

_

* * *

_**So hopefully it was okay... I'm halfway done with chapter 3 but I probably won't get around to updating until after I fly home from my sister's house. So bear with me...**

**Anyways... who watched the new years eve specials? Miley's was cute... and it would be her that was lucky enough to have a whole special named after her. Tay's performance on the Rockin Eve thing was good... and the whole singing a part of Forever and Always was such a stab at Joe. I didn't watch JB's performance... but I do have to ask why Demi was there... stalking much? She needs to branch out on her own and let go of JB... seriously**


	4. Chapter 3

Have you ever had that weird, sometimes freaky experience where you talk or read about something and then that same topic pops up again in a totally different situation later on? Some people say it's a form of déjà vu while others just say it's simply coincidence. Sometimes it's neither. Sometimes it is just fate's way of smacking us in the face for not listening to it in the first place.

Nick turned in the opposite way from Miley and started to walk home when he suddenly stopped after only taking three steps. Furrowing his eyebrows together, he looked like he was deeply concentrated on something important.

_You will have a chance meeting with Destiny._

"Destiny…" he mumbled to himself as he turned around in time to see Miley's retreating form turn around a corner, remembering his fortune from earlier. "No… it's just a coincidence."

Shaking the thought from his head, Nick turned back around and continued walking home. One big coincidence, he kept chanting over and over again in his mind. Taking just a few more steps, he couldn't stop himself from turning around once more and running after the girl he just met. He didn't exactly understand why he did it, but he just couldn't let her go without having a way to see her again. That is, if she wanted to see him again.

He rounded the same corner she had just turned around, pushing himself to run a little faster. He really should start working out again he thought to himself as he tried not to pass out from the over exertion his heart was going through.

"Destiny!" he called out when he was only a few feet behind her. "Wait up!"

She didn't turn around when he called her name so he pushed himself to run a little faster, slowing down to walking when he was behind her. "Destiny," he said breathlessly, panting as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Startled, Miley screamed before turning around, managing to trip over her own two feet in her haste to see who her attacker was. Not being as quick as before, Nick wasn't able to stop her from falling.

"Owww…" Miley groaned as she laid on the ground, opening her eyes to see a panic-stricken Nick looking down at her. She pushed against the ground to sit up, rubbing the dirt from her palms. "What are you doing Nick?"

"I am so sorry," he quickly apologized as he bent down and offered her a hand to help her up. "I came back because I didn't think it was safe for you to walk through the park alone at this time."

Okay so that wasn't entirely true, but he couldn't exactly tell her the truth. She would think he was trying to stalk her. Plus it really wasn't safe for her to be walking alone at this time through Central Park.

"Well thanks… I guess," she said as she slipped both of her hands into his, accepting his hands that were held out in front of her.

He planted his feet firmly on the ground before pulling her up, but just as soon as she got up she quickly let go of his hand and sank back onto the ground. She sat rocking back and forth, both her hands clutching at her right ankle. "I think I broke it."

Nick's face paled as he knelt down before hr and pried her hands away so he could look at it.

"Owww," Miley nearly screamed when he touched a little too hard. Swatting his hands away from her, she went back to holding her injured ankle between her hands and rocking back and forth. "That hurts."

"I'm sorry," he apologized, trying to pry her hands away again. "But I need to see if it's broke and we should probably take your shoe off before your ankle swells and the straps cut off your circulation."

"How would you know?" she whined, pouting in the process. She looked like a petulant child rather than a twenty-one year old woman. "Are you a doctor of some sort?"

Nick couldn't stop himself from grinning at her childlike behavior as he undid her shoe. "No, I just grew up with a very accident prone brother. One time he jumped out of our tree house and broke his arm while another time he thought he could skateboard over a car and cracked his skill," he laughed, recalling memories from his childhood. "Let's just say I'm highly trained for this type of stuff."

Miley laughed as Nick told her stories about his klutzy older brother, successfully distracting her enough to take a look at her ankle. "Well it doesn't seem to be broken. It's probably just bruised. Stay off of it for a couple days and you should be fine."

"What?" Miley asked, a little confused. She had temporarily forgotten about the pain when he was distracting her. But she was quickly reminded when she moved her foot, causing pain to shoot up her leg.

"Oww…" she whined a little louder. She was on the verge of tears as she resumed clutching at her ankle. Pain was never one of her strong suits.

"I don't think you'll be able to walk far," Nick said as he tried to help her up without causing her too much pain. "Is your place nearby?"

"No," Miley answered as she leaned against his side, trying not to put weight on her injured leg. "It's at least a thirty minute car ride from here."

"Well that doesn't help," he said more to himself than her as he tried to think of something to do. He looked around him, stopping to gaze in the direction of his apartment. "My place is only about ten minutes away. You could wait for someone to pick you up from there instead of out here in the cold."

Miley thought about his suggestion, unsure of what to do. She was always taught never to go anywhere with strangers, and Nick was definitely a stranger. But there was something about him that told her he was a good guy and that she could trust him. "That would be great, thanks."

Nick gave her a smile in return before wrapping an arm around her waist, his other one under her elbow to support most of her weight. Once situated, they limped slowly towards his apartment. He was slightly happy that she had agreed to come back to his place because it meant he would get to have some time to get to know her while Miley was just hoping there were no paparazzi around to witness this debacle.

"We're here," Nick informed her as he gently set her back onto the ground to open the door. Halfway back to his place he had succeeded in talking her into accepting a piggyback ride from him, that was the only way they could have ever made it without taking an hour. Unlocking his door, Nick helped her inside and to the couch before going to the kitchen to get her some ice for her.

Miley sat on his black leather couch, her eyes scanning the room. It was furnished to have a masculine vibe with the leather couches and modern furniture, but there was still a hint of a feminine touch to the place. Everything was spotless and precisely placed, from the fully equipped entertainment system to the accent colored pillows on the couches.

The sound of his footsteps caused her to look towards the kitchen doorway just as he walked back into the room with a bag of ice in his hands. "Thank," she said as she reached for it.

"You welcome," he replied as he sat down at the end of the couch, ignoring her outstretched hand. Surprising both himself and her, he pulled her feet into his lap and gently placed the ice against her right ankle, successfully making Miley flush with embarrassment.

"So can I ask you something?" he asked, receiving a nod of her head as a response. "Why are you wearing a dress?"

Miley's cheeks turned pick one again, starting the blush count of the night. So far she was up to four. "I just came from a birthday party."

"Who's birthday?"

The blush count increasing to five, she diverted her eyes to her hands. "Mine…"

He was puzzled as to why she didn't sound too happy about her birthday being today. "Can I ask you why you don't seem to thrilled about that?"

"It's not that I'm not happy," she said as she started to play with her hands. "It's just that my dad throws me these parties every year when all I would really like to do is spend it with people I actually know and not his business clients. I'm twenty-one not fifty."

She quickly covered her mouth with her hands, embarrassed that she had just ranted to a stranger about her problems. She was more shocked that she had told him how she really felt. Her mother was the only person she ever talked about her true feelings with. "I'm sorry," she apologized, her cheeks colored pink once again. "I didn't mean to whine like that to you."

"It's okay. Everyone needs to rant every once in awhile or they would spontaneously combust," he said with a smile which in turn caused her to smile also. "And happy birthday."

"Thanks," Miley said with a smile.

They fell into a moment of silence, but it wasn't filled with awkwardness or tension. It was just comfortable.

"So…" Miley said, trying to start a conversation. "You have a really nice place. Your girlfriend did a good job decorating."

He looked at her curiously, causing her to blush once again. It should just permanently stay on her face. "Why do you think my girlfriend decorated?" he asked with a smirk.

Miley slightly flinched when he said girlfriend, although she wasn't surprised a guy like him wasn't single. "Oh umm…" she sputtered, embarrassed that she had brought the subject up. "It's just that there's a feminine undertone to the more dominant masculine look."

"Well I'll be sure to tell my mother you like her work," he laughed while Miley just broke out into another blush. "Are you an interior designer by chance?"

"Oh god no," she replied, shaking her head. "I do some photography so I guess I see the artistic side of everything," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "It's a gift I guess."

"So you're a photographer?"

Miley shook her head a second time. "It's more of a hobby I do in my free time. I actually work a desk job at an investment company."

"That's funny," Nick said. "I work at an investment company too."

"Oh really. Which one?" she asked curiously. Surely she would have meant him before if he worked for her father's company.

"Jco. Investments," he replied. "Actually my great-grandfather started the business years ago."

Miley's eyes lit up with recognition at the name of the company. "You are _the_ Jonas Company?"

"I guess you can say that," he said with a shrug. "My dad runs the company and my brother and I work there."

Miley nodded, soaking in the new information she had learned. It was just her luck that out of all the people she could have ran in to, it just so happens to be a Jonas. Their families were practically rivals in the investment world.

Jco. Was a successful investment company until her father's company came along, taking most of their biggest clients with it. Since R & S Stewart was established, Jco.'s business declined rapidly. Today they were reduced to the ranking of a small neighborhood company.

"Which company do you work for?" he asked, crushed her hopes that he wasn't curious enough to ask.

"R & S Stewart," she mumbled, hoping he didn't understand what she had just said.

"Stewart?" he asked more to himself than to her. She was waiting for him to bad-mouth the company but once again he surprised her. "That's a good company to work for. I hear the Stewart family are nice people to work with."

"So you've heard of the Stewarts?" she asked him, receiving a nod in response. She knew it was a stupid question to ask but she was curious to know one thing. "Have you ever met the daughter? Miley?"

He shook his head. "I've never met any of the Stewarts actually. Their company is at a different level than my family's," he answered with no trace of resentment or bitterness in his tone. "Surprising as this may sound, I don't even know what Miley Stewart looks like."

Miley looked at him in shock. "Are you serious?" she asked out of impulse, receiving yet another nod of the head from him. "You've never seen a picture or a news segment on her?"

He shook his head one more time, shrugging his shoulders to add emphasis. "I try to stay away from that stuff and truthfully I don't really care for Miley Stewart."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, becoming defensive. Her tone of voice was becoming a little sharper.

"No offense or anything, but I don't respect people with her lifestyle. She's had everything she has ever wanted given to her with just a snap of the fingers." he ranted as Miley sat quietly, trying to act indifferent to everything he was saying. But it was proving to be a difficult task. "I bet she has a team of servants planning all those events she throws and then takes all the credit for it."

Miley wasn't all that surprised that those were his opinions of her. Everyone thought she was just a spoiled rich brat who didn't know the first thing about real work. She was use to having negative comments thrown at her and Nick had even more rights to criticize her with their family history. Usually she was really good at not letting the criticism affect her, but for some reason it sounded a lot worst coming from the guy she had just met a few hours ago.

"People like her don't know what the rest of us have to go through on a daily basis," he said, ending his little speech about why Miley Stewart was an obnoxious rich kid.

"I see," Miley responded, unsure of just how to react to everything he had just said.

"I'm sorry," Nick quickly apologized when he saw the offended look on her face. "I didn't mean to say all those mean things. I'm just a little prejudiced against the privileged."

"No, it's okay. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions," she replied with a tight-lipped smile on her face. "I've never even met her before so she might be everything you say she is."

He nervously rubbed at the back of his neck, worried that he may have just ruined what she thought of him. "So uhh… can I get you something? A drink maybe?"

"No thank you," she said as she started to look through her clutch for her phone. "It's late and I should probably be heading home anyways."

"Oh right," Nick said as he glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. He was surprised to see that it was already close to midnight. They had spend almost four hours together, and it was ruined in under five minutes.

He felt a slight nudge in his side and turned back towards Miley. She mouthed the word address to him and he promptly but gently removed her legs from his lap to get the stack of mail sitting on his table. Handing her an envelope with his address on it, he walked into the kitchen to dispose of the melted ice bag he was still holding and waited for her to finish her phone call. Hearing her say goodbye to someone named Mia, he waited a few more minutes before walking back into the living room.

Finding her putting her things back into her bag, he decided to give her space and stood leaning against the wall. "Got in touch with someone?"

Not noticing that he had walked back into the room, she jumped at the sound of his voice. "I didn't see you there," she blushed, picking up her heels that were lying on the floor. "My ride should be here soon."

Seeing her struggle to get up without putting too much pressure on her ankle, Nick rushed to her side to give her a hand. "Let me walk you downstairs."

Sensing that she was about to decline his offer, he quickly cut her off. "I insist. It's late and you shouldn't be wandering off alone."

Defeated, she could only nod her head in agreement. Letting him wrap his arm around her, she leant against him as he led her out of the apartment and down the hallway to the elevator. What usually takes him five minutes to get to the lobby, took them fifteen. Reaching the first floor, Nick led her to the sitting area while Miley silently prayed for Mia to be speeding.

"So… it was nice meeting you Destiny," Nick nervously said, trying to break the uncomfortably silence they were currently sitting through.

Miley smiled warmly at him, trying to get use to being called Destiny again after going so many years without being referred to by that name. "It was nice meeting you too and thank you again for being so nice to me tonight."

"It was no big deal," he replied with his own blush spreading across his cheeks. "I was happy to help."

Seeing a car pull up out of the corner of her eye, Miley looked towards the entrance to find Mia waiting patiently for her. She was probably curious about the guy standing next to her. "My ride's here," she announced, collecting her things once again.

Helping her up, he walked her out to the car before helping her climb in. "Have a nice night and happy birthday again."

"Thank," Miley replied. Her blush count of the night had to be up to the double digits by now. "Goodnight Nick."

"Wait," he said as he shot a hand forward to stop her from closing the door. He couldn't believe he was doing this. "Do you think… maybe… uh…" he stammered, trying to find the correct wording as she just stared at him questioningly. "Do you think I could get your number? You know, to make sure you're okay."

"Oh umm… my number," she stalled, darting her eyes from him to Mia with a 'what do I do' look on her face. She was hoping Mia would help her find a way to say no nicely because Miley was never good with situations like these. But instead of helping her, Mia decided to jot down her number on a slip of paper before handing it to Miley with an innocent smile on her face. "Thank you Mia," she said through clenched teeth as she took the slip of paper.

Quickly forcing a smile onto her face, she turned back around to face Nick. "Here you go," she said as cheerfully as she could, glancing at the slip to make sure her name wasn't on it. "Night Nick."

Closing the car door, she waved to him as Mia pulled out onto the street. "Was that-"

"Yep."

"Isn't he?"

"Yep."

"Aren't your families-"

"Yep."

"Doesn't he-"

"Nope."

"Interesting," she said as she focused on the road in front of her.

"I'll explain it to you in the morning," Miley answered as she leaned her forehead against the window. "Thanks for giving him my number by the way."

Mia sheepishly grinned at her. "I didn't recognize him until after and I thought he was cute," she confessed with a shrug of her shoulders.

-xox-

"To make a really long story short, Nick Jonas likes Destiny but absolutely despises Miley Stewart." Miley said, summing up every detail she had just told Mia and Traci about what happened on her birthday.

The three were currently sitting in Miley's sitting room, taking a lunch break from the work they had been doing. Miley from the housework and Miley and Mia from the work they had brought home from the office. Not wanting to fall behind because of her ankle, Miley had decided to work from home until she was able to walk without limping again.

"Maybe he would change what he thinks of you if you told him Destiny was actually Miley… I mean you," Mia suggested.

Miley sat shaking her head. "You didn't hear all the things he said about me. He hates me without even knowing anything about me, except that I'm a Stewart. He would probably still hate me if he found out Destiny and Miley were the same person."

"Well has he called you since that night?" Traci asked.

"Once," Miley answered, avoiding eye contact by taking an interest in the sandwich in front of her.

"And…" Traci pestered, trying to get her to elaborate.

"I didn't pick up," she said quickly. Getting up from the couch, she placed her plate on the cart and limped back to her makeshift desk. "So I should get back to work," she exclaimed, trying to change the subject to anything but Nick.

"What do you mean you didn't pick up?" Mia asked incredulously, making Miley cringe.

"How did you even know it was him?" Traci added before walking over to stand next to Miley.

"He left a voicemail," she answered, turning around to face the others slowly. "And I don't know. How am I suppose to act around a person and know that he hates my guts?"

"Easy, you be Destiny," Mia answered matter-of-factly. "He obviously liked you or he wouldn't have asked for you number, so get over the face that he doesn't like you as Miley Stewart and act like you as Destiny and get to know him."

"But wh-"

"Look, you don't get a chance to meet new people who have no clue who you are and would just like to get to know you because of you and not because of your family heritage," Mia said, her motherly side coming out full force. "So take my advice and just embrace this rare opportunity and have some fun. If he happens to find out your true identity and ends up not liking you even though he got to see just what a wonderful and sweet person you really are than he's a stupid jackass who's not worth a second of your time."

Miley smiled at her choice of words. "I think you should do it," Traci said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You always say you want to be normal. This is your chance. He is your chance to see what it's like to be normal."

She did wish to know what it was like to be treated normally. "But what about the paparazzi?" she asked with a sigh, a sure sign of defeat. "I wouldn't be able to go any where in public with him."

"Hmm… that would cause problems," Mia said as she tried to think of a solution.

"You could change your hair color or something," Traci suggested, trying to help out.

"That wouldn't work," Miley said as she limped back to the couch and sat down. "I would have to have two different hairstyles and that's just impossible."

"That's it!" Mia suddenly exclaimed, making both Miley and Traci stare at her in confusion. "We'll get you a wig you can wear when you're being Destiny."

"Are you sure that would work though?" Miley asked, unconvinced of the plan. "I don't think my hair color will make the paps not notice me."

"So we'll have two different hair colors and styles," she said with determination. "We'll have you lighten your hair and put some extensions in it and we'll get a wig in a darker shade, maybe some highlights, and a little shorter than your hair now."

She started pacing the room, spouting out plans while the other two just watched her. "Don't say it won't work until you've given it a try."

-xox-

It had been about a week since the planning session in Miley's room. She had went back to working at the office, her ankle no longer bothering her. She was still somewhat avoiding Nick. He had called her twice since the first time and they had talked one of those times. Thanks to Mia who had managed to pry the phone out of Miley's hand and answered it, all the while receiving glares from her. But even then Miley had kept it short, claiming she had a staff meeting to be at. She didn't really know why she was avoiding him, she just was.

She was now currently sitting in the black swivel chair at her hair stylist's salon, getting extensions added. They had dyed her hair a reddish brown color and given her full bangs instead of the side-swept bangs she normally had. Now with the extensions, her hair came to rest a little longer than mid-back, the tips touching the top of the small of her back.

"All done beautiful," Jason announced with a smile, taking the black drape off of her before turning her around to face the mirror.

She almost didn't recognize herself. "Wow," she said as she ran her fingers through her new hair. "It's really long."

"It's different," Mia said with a look of satisfaction on her face. "I don't think I would have recognized you if I hadn't been watching." She was practically glowing. "This is going to work. The paps are going to be looking for your newly lighten hair that they won't even notice the darker haired girls."

Miley smiled before thanking Jason and grabbing her purse to leave. "Let's hope this works," she murmured quietly before following Mia out the entrance to the salon.

"Miley! Miley over here!" the pack of photographers cried out the second Mia stepped onto the sidewalk. "Like the new look!"

Smiling politely at the flashing cameras, she grabbed onto Mia's arm as they fought their way through the crowd and to the waiting car. Mia quickly opened the door to the backseat and let Miley slide in before climbing in afterwards.

"I think it's working," she said as Miley breathed a sigh of relief. "We'll test it out later."

Miley watched as Mia reached into a bag, pulling out Miley's second set of hair. The wig was slightly a darker shade of brown than her natural hair with golden honey colored highlights sprinkled throughout. It was curled into loose waves and was a little longer than shoulder length. It was definitely different from her current hair color and style.

"So I got you two just in case an accident happens to occur." Mia thought of everything.

Miley nodded as her assistant placed the wig back into the black bag just as the car came to a stop in front of the company's front entrance. Opening the door, she was greeted by the same group of paparazzi from the salon. She waved and flashed them a smile before a security guard came to escort her into the building.

-xox-

Going through the work day with every person you passed stopping to comment on your new hair was exhausting. Or at least it was for Miley. Her jaw was hurting from all the smiling she did today.

"Can you pass me a bobby pin?" Mia asked with her hand outstretched in front of her.

They were currently in Miley's closet of her office. Miley was sitting in a chair in front of a mirror while Mia was busy pinning up her hair so they could put the wig on.

Handing her yet another bobby pin, Miley sat watching her through the mirror. "With all this effort this plan better work."

"It will," Mia replied with a smile. Placing the wig on, she made sure it was secure before taking a step back to take a look at her masterpiece. "It will definitely work."

Looking in the mirror at her reflection, Miley ran her fingers through the silky waves. "You know, it's kinda weird knowing I have someone else's hair on my head," she randomly blurted out after spending a couple minutes just staring.

Mia laughed, shaking her head as she handed Miley her things along with a different jacket from the one she was wearing this morning. "So the car will be waiting around the corner," she said as she walked to the office door, poking her head out to see if anyone was around. "Alright, let's go."

They rode the elevators down to the first floor, all the while Miley tried not to get nervous. The bell dinged and the doors slid open as the pair stepped off. Walking across the lobby, Mia rummaged through Miley's bag, pulling out a pair of sunglasses. "Put these on."

Doing as directed, Miley slid them on before pushing the door to the entrance open. Seeing the pack of paparazzi waiting outside, she held her breathe as she walked past them and around the corner to the awaiting car, Mia trailing behind her.

"It worked," she exclaimed in excitement, finally able to let out the breathe she had been holding in. "I can't believe it actually worked."

**(a/n: hey if it works on the tv show it works in the story… lol)**

"I told you so," Mia said with a smug look on her face. "Now all you have to do is call Nick back."

-xox-

Nick sat at the desk of his office, twirling the slip of paper with Miley's number on it between his thumb and forefinger. Glancing back and forth between the phone on his desk and the scrap of paper he was holding, he debated whether or not he should try to call her again. Deciding that he probably shouldn't and she was probably working, he placed the paper down. He didn't want to come off as a freak who wouldn't stop calling her anyways.

"Hey little bro," his older brother said as he barged into the office without knocking.

Groaning in annoyance, Nick visibly rolled his eyes. "Why thanks for knocking Joe, come right on in," he said sarcastically.

"Sorry," Joe apologized, taking a seat on the couch along the wall. "I forget how anal you are about the whole privacy thing."

Shaking his head at his older brother, Nick decided to get up to get a drink from the mini-fridge at the bar. "Do you need something Joe?"

"No, can't I just come visit my little brother without needing something?" he asked, feigning innocence.

Nick turned around and leaned against the counter of the bar, a diet coke in his hand. "Nope."

"Fine, I was bored and wanted to come bother you," Joe confessed as he went to sit down behind Nick's desk, rummaging around in search of something interesting.

"Can you not touch?" Nick asked, setting the can of soda down on the counter and walking towards his older brother. He saw him pick up the piece of paper with the phone number. "Can I have that back please?"

"Ooooo… who's number do we have here?" Joe asked as he waved the slip in front of Nick's annoyed face. "Could it possibly be… a girls?"

"It's no one's," Nick answered, his palm outstretched in front of him, waiting for his brother to give it back to him. "Now can I have it back?"

"You know that I could easily just call the number and find out who the girl is," he said matter-of-factly. He waited for an explanation, reaching for the phone when Nick just stood there.

"Wait," Nick exclaimed, his hands flying to the phone to stop him. "Her name is Destiny."

Grinning in victory, Joe placed the phone number back on the desk. "That's a weird name," he said, earning a glare from his little brother. "When did you meet her?"

"About two weeks ago after the family dinner. We kinda just happened to run into each other," Nick said. A smile spread across his face as he recalled their disastrous first meeting, chuckling at the memory. Breaking out of his thoughts, he looked up to find his older brother staring at him curiously. "What?"

"Nothing," Joe replied, shaking his head. "It's just that I haven't seen you smile like that because of a girl since…" He trailed off, knowing that Nick didn't like to talk about his former girlfriend.

"We're not dating," Nick said as he took a seat on the couch since Joe was still sitting behind his desk. "We're not even friends. I haven't even seen her since we first met."

"Why not?"

He shrugged his shoulders, leaning his head on the back of the couch. "I think I may have offended her with something I said."

"That's perfect," Joe exclaimed, jumping up from the chair to see a confused looking Nick on the couch. He sighed dramatically before explaining what he meant. "It's perfect because it gives you a chance to take her out to say you're sorry and make a better impression on her."

Nick just sat with his head resting on the couch, his eyes staring at the white ceiling in above him. "Well what did you say?" Joe asked, sitting on the edge of the desk.

Sighing, Nick ran a hand through his curls. "She works over at the Stewarts and asked if I knew Miley."

"Tell me you didn't…" Joe said, receiving a nod from his little brother, confirming his suspicions. "You really need to let go of your disdain towards her. I'm sure she's a nice girl and had nothing to do with what her father did to our company."

Walking over to the couch, he gave his brother a pat on the his shoulder. "Lucky for you, that's not that's not that big of a problem and you can still have a chance. Just stay away from topics like Miley Stewart."

Joe playfully pushed him before walking towards the door, looking back he stopped momentarily. "You should probably call her and explain the text you just sent her."

A look of horror flashed across Nick's face as he literally flew towards his desk, picking up his phone sitting on his desk. Laughing, Joe left the room.

Scrolling through his latest texts, he found the one sent to Destiny.

-xox-

Making use of not working today, Miley was dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a warm sweater. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and her jacket was slung across her arm as she walked around the boutique, looking at various items with Lily.

"What do you think of this?" Lily asked, holding a blue and white dress up for Miley to see.

"It's cute," she replied, felling her phone vibrating in her purse.

Turning her attention away from her friend, she started digging in her bag for her cell phone. Finding it in one of the million pockets the bag had, she pulled it out to see that she had one new text message. Unlocking the phone, she saw that Nick had sent it to her. 'I miss you," she read to herself, her eyebrows knitting together out of confusion.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked, seeing the look on her friend's face.

"Oh nothing," she said, looking at her phone. "Do you remember the guy I told you I met on my birthday?"

Lily nodded. "Nick?"

"Yeah him," Miley said, her mind still on the text message. Putting her phone back in her bag, she started thumbing through the rack of clothing. "He just sent me the weirdest text."

"What did it say?"

"It was just really random. He said that-" her explanation was interrupted by the sound of muffled ringing coming from Miley's purse. "Hold on," she told Lily as she looked for her phone, getting frustrated when it wasn't where she had just put it.

Hastily digging through the never-ending pockets, she quickly answered the phone when she was able to find it. "Hello?"

"Umm… hey Destiny," Nick stammered, caught off guard that she had picked up. He was hoping it would have went to her voicemail.

Pulling the phone away from her ear, she covered the speaker before poking Lily repeatedly until she turned to look at her. "It's him," she whispered, pointing to the phone in her hand.

"Well saw something," Lily whispered back, pushing Miley's hand towards her ear.

"Hey Nick, sorry about that," she said, apologizing for making him wait while she panicked.

"It's okay," he replied, managing to sound calm when in truth he had been worrying that she didn't want to speak to him. "Is this a bad time? I can call back later."

She was about to say yes and make up some excuse as to why she needed to go but Lily quickly slapped her arm before she could actually do it. "Um no it's not. Did you need something?"

Hearing what sounded like him letting out a breath, she couldn't help but smile at how nervous he was. She thought it was cute. "I just wanted to apologize for the text. My brother was being annoying and decided to try and piss me off."

"Oh," Miley said, laughing slightly. "That explains a lot."

"Yeah," Nick said, relieved that she believed him. "I didn't want you to think I was a freak or anything."

Miley giggled, making Lily glance at her with an amused look on her face. "For a moment I actually did think you were a freak."

"Well I'm glad I cleared that up," Nick joked back, a wide smile on his face as he sat down behind his desk. "So what are you doing?"

"I have the day off so I'm just shopping with a friend," Miley answered, following Lily to the next store.

"That sounds way better than being kept hostage in my office," Nick said. This was the first conversation they had had that was longer than five minutes and he wanted to take advantage of that.

Miley absent-mindedly looked at the clothes hanging in front of her, her mind preoccupied with the phone call. Lily just ignored her and continued shopping, not wanting to interrupt her little moment she was having. They went from store to store, all the while Miley's phone glued to her ear.

Nick looked towards his office door when he heard a knock to see his secretary standing there. He put up a finger, telling her to wait a moment. "It looks like I have to get back to my responsibilities and get back to work," he interrupted her, bummed that he had to end their call.

"Oh gosh I'm so sorry," Miley apologized. "I've been keeping you from your work."

Nick chuckled. "don't worry, it was worth it."

"Well have fun at work," Miley chirped.

"Before I go," Nick said, the comfortableness they were just in turning into nervousness again. "Do you thin we could catch lunch… let's say on Saturday?"

"Lunch…" Miley said, catching Lily's eye. Her blonde friend immediately started shaking her head, telling Miley to accept his offer. "Umm… lunch sounds good. I'll see you on Saturday."

Nick broke out into a huge grin, happy that she had accepted. "Okay, I'll call you later and we can figure out where to meet up."

"Sounds like a plan," she replied, a smile on her face. "You should get back to work."

"Right… work," Nick said, looking up to see that his secretary had left to give him some privacy. "Well have fun shopping."

"I will. Have fun working," Miley replied.

"Bye Destiny," Nick said with a laugh.

"Bye," Miley said before hanging up.

"Well that took long enough Destiny," Lily said jokingly.

"I'm sorry," Miley apologized. " I didn't realize we were on the phone for that long."

"It's okay, I was just joking," Lily said, still looking through the racks of clothing. "I was able to shop in peace."

Miley smiled at her before playfully pushing her friend. "So do you always talk on the phone that long everything?"

"Me and Nick?" Miley questioned, looking at Lily. "Actually no. This would be the first time we really talked on the phone."

"Fully," Lily said, looking at her. "You guys sound like ya'll talk all the time."

Miley shrugged her shoulders. "He's easy to talk too."

Raising her eyebrows, Lily just smiled at Miley making her slightly uncomfortable. "What?"

"Nohting," Lily replied, turning her attention back to the dresses hanging in front of her. "I just haven't seen you smile this much over a boy in a very long time."

Miley quickly wiped the smile off her face. She didn't even realize she was smiling. "It's not like that," she said, getting defensive. "We can't even be considered friends at this point."

"I didn't say anything," Lily replied, smirking at her outburst. "I was simply making an observation that I haven't seen you smiled like this before and I never said anything about Nick."

Out of ideas for a comeback, Miley stuck her tongue out like a five-year old and went back to looking at clothes, letting the subject of Nick Jonas drop. At least she didn't talk about him out loud. In her mind she was mentally rifling through her clothes in her closet, trying to find an outfit to wear to lunch on Saturday.

* * *

**Sorry for making you guys wait for this chapter... hopefully it all makes sense. I find that with handwriting... I sometimes leave stuff out and then have to try to remember what I meant. On the bright side... my laptop is getting fixed right at this moment and I should be getting it back sometime next week so it will be easier for me to write and update and whatnot. Well maybe... considering school is starting back... yuck! I hate college... lol**

**I had something else I wanted to say... but it slipped my mind. I hate when that happens... oh well... review peeps!**


	5. Chapter 4

**I AM SO SORRY!!! I didn't mean to go this long without updating but school started again which meant the homework started pouring in and my life just got caught up in a whirlwind of never ending busy-ness. College is a pain… but don't let my complaints discourage you from going because it really is good for you… I just need to learn how to manage my time so I'm not stuck doing everything last minute. Other than school I recently just moved so that took up some time also and even though I really don't have that much of a social life… I can never find time to write. The most I ever get is at most 30 minutes a couple times a week before I go to bed. So just know that I'm trying… it's just coming along very slowly… but if you ever want an update on the progress and maybe a sneak peek at the next chapter than pm me! I'll be more than happy to give you a little incentive for waiting so long for my lazy butt to update.**

* * *

Different people come in and out of your life constantly, for many reasons. Every person is specifically put into your life to help you learn and grow. Some are permanently present, others visit for a time, many are just passing through, and there are those that make a big impact on your life with just one word. But no matter how that person leaves your life whether of death, or a matter of time, or even a disaster that leaves you broken, each person has a significant meaning and make you realize something you never would have realized without their help.

-xox-

It was Saturday morning and Miley was busy running around Traci's apartment like a chicken with its head cut off while Traci and Lily just watched in amusement. She was a bit nervous, kinda worried, and all around giddy about meeting Nick for lunch. They never really discussed if it was an actual date date, but Miley was just as nervous if it was or wasn't. She was stressing over every detail as if it was her very first date ever.

Her actual fist date happened when she was sixteen and it happened to be with Oliver, but that relationship obviously didn't end up so well.

"How does this look?" she asked as she emerged from the bathroom dressed in a pair of dark washed skinny jeans and a gray v-neck sweater. It was the beginning of December in chilly New York, so it didn't leave her with a lot of options to work with.

"It's fine," Lily groaned while Traci sat flipping through a magazine. Miley had been trying to pick an outfit to wear for the past thirty minutes and they were just a little bored. "The last five outfits have all looked fine."

"Just one more," she said, earning some groans of objections and most likely one or two rolls of the eyes. "I swear this is the last one."

"You swore it was the last one three outfits ago," Lily mumbled as Miley walked back into the bathroom to change again, making Traci giggle.

Walking out of the bathroom for what seemed like the millionth time, Miley was dressed in a different pair of dark washed skinny jeans and a white v-neck t-shit with a black cardigan over it, a skinny gold belt completing her outfit. Spinning around in a full circle once, she waited for an answer.

Lily surveyed the outfit, noticing that it was made up from the jeans from outfit number four, the shirt from three, the cardigan from seven, and the belt from number one. Looking her up and down, she was about to say fine again when Traci beat her to the punch. "It's perfect Miley."

"Yeah?" Miley asked, her face lighting up with excitement. She looked like a kid in a candy store.

"Yep," Traci responded, nodding her head to add emphasis.

Miley actually squealed before going back into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

"Perfect?" Lily asked, giving Traci a questioning look.

Shrugging her shoulders, Traci resumed thumbing through the magazine she had been looking through. "Fine wasn't working so I tried a different answer in hopes of putting an end to the never ending outfits. Who knew you could make up so many combinations with just a handful of clothing."

Lily laughed. "Spend more time with Miley and you will learn that with her, anything is possible."

"That's what I'm finding out."

They both looked up when they heard the familiar sound of the bathroom door opening. "Okay, I think I'm ready," Miley said, running her fingers through the ends of the wig she was wearing.

Standing in the doorway of the bathroom, she was still wearing the same jeans but had changed into the black v-neck sweater with a cream colored tank top underneath from outfit number six. "You changed," Traci said as more of a comment than a question.

"Yeah, I figured it was probably too cold for just a thin cardigan," she replied as she sat down and pulled on her black boots before putting on her white coat.

Shaking her head, Lily got up from her spot on the couch. "Anything is possible," she repeated, patting Traci on the back gently.

Checking her appearance in the mirror by Traci's front door, they ventured outside into the cold and piled into Traci's car. They had decided that it would be best for Miley to get ready at Traci's, that way she wouldn't be caught walking out of her house with the wig on.

"So I would ask if you were nervous, but I think we all know that answer already," Lily smirked, her eyes darting towards Miley's shaking leg.

Bringing her hand to rest on top of her thigh, Miley tried to calm herself. "I'm not nervous… I just don't know what to expect."

"It will be fine," Lily said, trying to reassure her. "You have been on a dozen of dates."

Giving her friend a 'you're not helping' looked, Miley took a deep breath and watched Traci drive. "That's what so weird. I have no idea why I'm so nervous when it's just lunch with a guy."

"Maybe you're nervous because you don't have the advantage of being Miley Stewart," Traci said, glancing at the rearview mirror to look at her. "He doesn't automatically like you and now you have to try and impress him by letting him get to know the real you and not the you that the media gets to know."

Miley sat staring out the window at all the buildings they were passing, digesting everything she had just said. For being only a couple of months older than herself, Traci was very wise beyond her years. Everything she just said was true. Her former dates had all known her as Miley - the girl that she had carefully crafted for the world to get to know - but Nick didn't know her as Miley. He had the rare chance to get to know her as Destiny - her mother's baby girl- who believed in fairy tales and was taught to dream big.

"We're here," Traci announced twenty-minutes later.

Looking around, Miley saw that they were currently parked a block away from The Village, a quaint little café she was meeting Nick at. Now that she was so close, Miley was getting over active butterflies in the pit of her stomach. She was very close to just backing out from lunch and telling Traci to turn the car around and drive home.

"Good luck," Lily said from the passenger seat.. Both her and Traci were turned around in their seats to look back at Miley, smiles of encouragement on their faces. "and have fun."

"We'll probably be shopping close by so call if it goes terribly wrong and we'll come get you."

Miley nodded and took a deep breath, trying to recollect herself. Grabbing her purse, she thanked the girls for helping her before getting out of the car. She waved at them as they drove off before she started walking, slowly but surely, towards the café. Being nervous was an understatement, her palms were sweaty and her mouth was dry. She was passed the point of nervous and was bordering frantic when she reached the entrance.

Pulling open the door and stepping in, Miley approached the hostess podium. "Hi, welcome to The Village, how may I help you?" a blonde headed girl greeted with a smile.

"Actually I'm suppose to be meeting someone," Miley replied as she started to scan the parts of the restaurant she could see for Nick. "but I'm not quite sure if he is here yet."

"Oh! Are you meeting a Nick Jonas by chance?"

"Um… yes I am," Miley replied hesitantly. She was a little stunned a kinda confused that the girl knew him by name. "Is he already here?"

"He just came in not too long ago," she replied. Smiling, she stepped out from behind the podium and signaled to Miley to follow her. "Right this way."

Making a mental note to ask him how the hostess knew him by name, she followed behind the girl around the corner and to the back of the room. Walking towards the table, she made eye contact with Nick who smiled at her before standing up when she came closer to the table.

"Hey," he greeted, giving her a friendly hug once the hostess had gone back to her station, giving them some privacy.

"Hi," she said back before sliding into the booth. Taking a moment to look around the restaurant, she shrugged off her jacket while waiting for him to take his own seat. "This is a cute little place."

"Yeah, I come here a lot," Nick said, his face lit up by the smile on his face.

"Well that explains why the hostess knew you by name," Miley said with her own smiles, her eyes sparkling.

A little embarrassed, Nick laughed nervously. "So how has work been?"

Shrugging her shoulders, she picked up the menu and started looking over it. "It's work, you hate it and love it at the same time."

"I know what you mean," he said as he sat watching as her eyes moved back and forth over the menu. It was cute the way she silently read to herself and especially the way she would scrunch up her nose if she didn't find something appetizing. He studied her face, taking in her appearance. "Hey, your hair is different."

Looking up, she ran a hand through the wig to make sure it was still in place. "Um yeah, I decided that I needed a little change."

"Well it looks good," he said, making her blush. "the highlights make your eyes brighter."

"Um… thank you," she said in return to his compliment before ducking behind her menu to hide her nervousness.

Lucky for her, their waiter came by to take their orders, interrupting the awkward moment. She was still slightly uncomfortable around him, his opinions about her still stuck in the back of her head as a constant reminder. Taking a sip from her glass of water, she decided to start a conversation. "So… thank you for asking me to lunch. I really appreciate it."

"You're very welcome," Nick replied. "I… um… I actually asked you to lunch so that I could apologize to you."

"Apologize?" Miley interrupted.

Nick nodded, rubbing nervously at the back of his neck. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for everything I said about Miley Stewart that night. I really didn't mean to offend you. The Stewart family and my family have some unpleasant history together that made me a little biased towards her, but I'm sure she is a really nice person."

"You really didn't need to apologize for that," she replied with a smile. But truthfully, she was grateful that he was considerate enough to do it. "Everyone is entitled to their opinions, both good and bad."

"Opinions or not, I am sincerely sorry for everything I said," Nick apologized again. "I hope you can forgive me and we can start over fresh."

Miley nodded, holding her hand out across the table for a handshake. "Hi, my name is Destiny."

Laughing, Nick took her hand in his, giving her a firm handshake. "I'm Nick Jonas."

"Well it's very nice to meet you Nick."

"Likewise," he replied, trying his hardest not to burst into a full out laughing fit. But he wasn't able to keep it in and started laughing, Miley joining him soon after.

"What… are we… laughing at?" she asked in between laughing and gasping for air.

"I'm not really sure," Nick replied, trying to calm himself down by taking deep breaths. "I haven't laughed like that in a very long time."

Miley nodded her head in agreement. "Me either," she said as she wiped at the tears that had collected in the corner of her eyes. "Especially over nothing."

Nick smiled at her, receiving one in return just as their waiter came by with their entrees. They ate their lunch, a pasta dish and salad for Miley while Nick had a steak with a side of steamed vegetable and mashed potatoes. They talked while they ate, asking each other random questions as a way to get to know each other. By the time they were both done eating, they knew what the other's favorite color was and also whether or not they liked the new Tom Cruise movie that had just opened up.

They were able to get to know each other without actually revealing who they truly were.

After arguing over who would pay the bill and why they couldn't possibly split it, Nick handed the waiter his card with a victorious smile while Miley just sat sulking. She was an independent woman and didn't like it when people spent money on her.

Still smiling while he signed the check, he handed the bill back to the waiter before turning back to Miley. "So are you ready to go?" he asked her with that same pesky smile on his face.

Rolling her eyes at him, she slid out of the booth before putting her jacket back on and grabbing her purse. "Okay, now I'm ready."

Feeling bold, he placed a hand on her back and guided her towards the exit. Waving goodbye to the hostess who's name was Amy, Nick held open the door for Miley who blushed at his chivalry. "Thanks," she murmured, stopping a few steps from the door to wait for him.

"So is there anything you would like to do now?" Nick asked her as they stood outside on the sidewalk.

"Oh… um… I don't know," she answered. "I didn't think we were going to do anything except have lunch."

"Well we don't have to," he said quickly, feeling stupid. "I was just making a suggestion but if you have other plans or something than I understand if you want to just leave. He was rambling and he knew it, but he couldn't help himself. She made him extremely nervous.

"No it's okay, I'm up for anything," she smiled, shrugging her shoulders. He was being cute again.

"Really if you have something else to do than go. I won't be offended," he said, rubbing nervously at the back of his neck again. "I promise."

"Come on Nick," she said, looping her arm through his, making him glance at the spot on his arm her hand was resting on. "So where are you taking me today?"

"Umm…" he stammered, his thoughts all jumbled up. "Do you like to go to the Rockefeller Center?"

She shook her head at him. "You'll be surprised to know that I haven't been to a lot of places in New York."

"What do you mean by a lot of places?"

"I think the only place I've really been is Central park," she answered while they walked down the streets of New York. "Oh and I've driven through Times Square."

"Please tell me you are joking," he said disbelievingly.

"Nope," she replied matter-of-factly. "I pretty much stick to my neighborhood, the Stewart building, places around the park, and a couple shopping places."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him staring at her. Glancing at him, she saw the awestruck expression on his face. "You were born here and lived here all your life." She nodded, letting him know that was correct. "And you have never been to any of the places that makes New York the city that it is?"

She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "I never got around to it."

"What else have you not done?"

"You would be surprised how long that list actually is," she replies as they continued walking.

"I'm kinda scared to know now," Nick laughed, shaking his head. He still found it hard to believe that she has never been to the major tourist attractions in the city. They continued their walk, Nick finding out new things about her the whole way. Stopping in front of the infamous Christmas tree, Nick watched as Miley gaped at the sight before her. "Welcome to Rockefeller Center."

"Wow," Miley managed to exclaim as she stared at the gigantic, fully decorated tree in front of her. "It looks even better in person."

"Come on, there's a lot more to see," he informed her as he tugged lightly on her still intertwined arm. He couldn't explain it, but there was something about her that made her comfortable to be around. "There's a lot of places to shop and eat at here and sometimes they have local musicians perform."

He watched her as she looked at everything around her, trying her hardest not to miss anything. She looked so excited and Nick couldn't help but feel proud that he was able to make her smile like that.

"Is that an ice-skating rink?" she asked, pointing to her right.

"Yep," he replied, leading her in the direction of the rink. "Do you ice skate?"

She shook her head as they approached the railing circling around the rink's perimeter, her eyes trained onto the people skating. "I've always wanted to. It looks like a lot of fun."

Smiling to himself, he pulled her towards the kiosk. "Where are we going?"

"Ice skating," he answered like it was common sense.

"What?" she asked incredulously. She did say she always wanted to try it, but that didn't exactly mean she was really going to do it anytime soon. "No."

"Come on, it will be fun," he coaxed as he pulled her along.

"But I don't know how," she exclaimed, trying to fight his hold on her. She was a little worried that she would somehow manage to hurt herself. "I'll end up falling and breaking something."

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall," he said with a smile that made her give in to his ways.

Nick approached the window to pay and rent the skates, Miley pouting the whole entire time. Sitting down on a nearby bench, Nick pulled on his pair before helping Miley lace up her pair. Grabbing her hand, he helped her over to the ice, her hands grasping his in a death grip. "Relax," he advised as he waited for her to place both feet onto the ice. "See, that isn't so bad."

He spoke too soon. Trying to take a step forward, Miley lost her balance and slipped but Nick was quick enough to catch her before she could land on the cold ice. "It's okay, I got you."

Holding tightly onto him, Miley's heart was racing. "I think that was a sign to tell me I should not try to ice skate."

"You'll be fine," Nick pressed, trying to get her to come out farther on the ice, people skating all around them.

Trying again, Miley slid one foot forward than the other, moving inch by inch. All the while Nick held onto her, giving her motivation as he helped her along. An hour later with a few slips and falls, but no injuries, Miley was able to skate without Nick holding on to her. Although she was still a little wobbly, she was able to skate on her own at a very slow pace.

"See… I knew you could do it," Nick said with a smile as he skated alongside her. "Fun isn't it?"

"Mmhmm…" she answered, nodding her head. Her hair was windblown and her cheeks were rosy from the cold air as she carefully skated around. "Thank you for getting me to do this."

"You are very welcome."

The place was almost empty, leaving just them a handful of other skaters. He watched her as she got braver and started speeding up gradually, telling her to be careful as he followed close behind her. She had a huge smile on her face, letting him know she was truly enjoying herself. "Hey Nick, watch!"

Like she asked, he watched. She tried to skate in a circle, but somewhere in the process she managed to lose her balance. Reaching for her, the force of the impact made him fall onto the cold ice, Miley landing on top of him. Finding the situation funny, Miley broke out into a fit of laughter, Nick soon joining in. "Why does it seem like this always happen when the two of us are together?" she asked as the two were still sprawled out on the ice laughing.

"I honestly have no idea," Nick answered as their laughter died out. Getting up once Miley had rolled off of him, he helped her back onto her feet. "I think we should stop for the day before one of us gets hurt." he joked, making her smile.

They carefully skated back to the entrance of the rink and changed back into their own shoes before returning the skates. "What do you say we go get some hot chocolate to warm up?"

"Good idea," she replied as she held out her hand so he could pull her up from the bench she was sitting on.

Taking her hand in his, he helped her up. Letting go of her hand, he instantly missed the warmth that he had felt but decided against reaching for it again. He didn't want to be too bold. And so they walked side by side to a coffee shop nearby the skating rink to get their hot chocolate, emerging back into the cold awhile later with their cups in hand to continue walking through the center. They fell into a comfortableness, smiles on their faces as they talked about random things like 'what came first: the chicken or the egg?' or if the color orange was named because of the fruit or if the fruit was named because of the color.

Hearing her phone ring, she shot Nick an apologetic look before rummaging through her purse for it. "Hello?"

"Are you walking in front of a fountain by chance?" Lily asked her curiously.

"Yes…" she answered, her head turning left to right. "How do you know that?"

"Traci and I are walking behind you," Lily answered.

Miley stopped suddenly in the middle of the sidewalk, making Nick stop walking also, before turning around to find her friends. "Oh hey I see you guys," she exclaimed before lifting her hand to wave at them. Curious to see what made her stop so abruptly, Nick turned his attention in the direction she had waved to, seeing two girls -a blonde and a brunette- walking towards them.

"Hey," they smiled as they reached the spot Nick and Miley were currently standing at.

"Nick, these are my friends Lily and Traci," Miley introduced, pointing at the girls. "Guys, this is my friend Nick."

"Nice to meet you," Nick greeted, giving each girl a firm handshake. He found that it was a good idea to make a good impression with a girl's friends if you were interested in her. Shaking his hand in return, they both smiled at him which he took as a good sign.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Traci asked

"We just got done ice skating," Nick replied while Miley nodded to confirm his answer.

"And you manage to not break anything?" Lily asked, giving Miley a questioning look.

"I happen to be fairly good at it," she retorted.

"Yeah she only fell a couple of times and managed to nearly kill me just once," Nick joked, making everyone laugh except for Miley who stood pouting like a child.

"Thanks for making me look good," she said, playfully shoving him by the arm. "So I knocked you down once and I get accused of nearly killing you. But in my defense, I did tell you that it wasn't a good idea to take me ice skating."

"Well it was still fun even with the near death experience," he said, making her smile.

Traci and Lily stood watching them banter back and forth, knowing smiles on their faces. Miley noticing that they were still there, cleared her throat awkwardly before turning her attention back to them. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Just shopping around," Traci replied, lifting up her bags to show Miley proof so she wouldn't think they were just following her. "But we're about to head home if you want a ride back."

"Oh… um…" Miley stammered as she glanced from Nick to her watch, unsure of what to do. A part of her knew she had work to take care of and the other part of her didn't want her time with Nick to end because she was having fun spending the day with him.

"Yeah we should call it a day anyways," Nick said, not wanting to keep her from her friends. "I'll walk you guys to your car."

"Okay," she replied with a smile, following behind her friends towards the car. "Thank you for today by the way."

"It was no problem," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"I had a lot of fun. I can't really remember the last time I've had this much fun actually."

"Well I'm glad I could help," he smiled, glancing at her as they neared Traci's car. "Hopefully we can do it again sometime."

She smiled at him as they came to a stop next to the car. Both Lily and Traci had already gotten in, trying to give them some privacy. "I'd like that a lot."

"I'll give you a call and we can make plans then."

"Okay," she replied, nodding her head also.

He reached for the door handle, opening the car door for her. She stopped before getting in, turning to look at him. "Thanks again," she said, placing a light kiss on his cheek before sliding into the car. "Bye."

"Yeah… bye," he said, his thoughts centered on the tingling sensation he was feeling at the spot she had just kissed. Breaking out of his mini trance, he gave her one last smile before closing the car door and watching as they drove away.

-xox-

"Today was perfect," Miley gushed as she took off the wig and changed into a pair of sweats. She sounded like a love struck teenager. "Lunch was a little awkward at first but it got more comfortable as time passed." Smiling at the memory of a nervous Nick, she sat down on the couch beside Lily. "He wanted to apologize about badmouthing me and he was all nervous. He was just so cute."

Lily rolled her eyes, making Traci giggle. They had heard her repeat that very same phrase countless of times since she got in the car at the parking garage. "I ended up being cheesy and doing that whole 'start over fresh' thing and we ended up laughing about it. It's weird because I've never been this comfortable around a guy on the first date."

"So it was a date then?" Traci asked.

Miley shrugged. "We never really established anything, but it felt like one. I mean he paid for everything and took me ice skating."

"That sounds like a date to me," Lily interjected. "No guy, scratch that, no straight guy is willing to go ice skating unless he likes the girl."

She smiled, a blush creeping across the apple of her cheeks. "We don't know anything yet, so let's not get carried away." Miley said, trying to not get her hopes up over nothing.

"Come on Miles," Traci said, walking over to sit down beside her with a bowl of popcorn in her hands. "I think it's safe to say he likes you. He already wants to spend more time with you."

"Okay enough already, can we please just watch the movie now?" she suggested, trying to do anything but talk about her and Nick. Turning towards the TV mounted on the wall, she watched the screen as the previews to the DVD started. But as scene after scene flickered across the TV, her thoughts were on a certain curly haired boy, all the while a huge grin adorning her face as she replayed the events of the day over and over again.

-xox-

It was Friday afternoon and Miley had just returned home from a long day at work. She had to deal with some new clients today and it had been tiring. Dealing with new clients was usually her dad's line of work and she strictly stuck to charity events, but her father had to make an emergency trip to LA and so she was stuck with trying to kiss some potential client's ass. Needless to say, they found her charming and she had signed two new big names to their already long list of clients. But now, all she was looking forward too was spending the evening with Nick.

They hadn't seen each other since their lunch 'date' last Saturday and she was itching to spend some time with him again. Since lunch, they've been talking on the phone at least once a day, even if it was just to see how the other's day was going. She was slightly confused to whether or not they were dating. Usually guys were straight forward with her and asked her out on dates, but he had just said he wanted to hang out. 'Hang out' was usually code for being friends.

But even if they were only friends, she still couldn't stop herself from getting excited about spending some time with him.

"Hey Mia," Miley called from her bathroom door. "I need some help."

"Coming!" she heard her call from her sitting room. Hearing the door creak open, she turned her head to see Mia walking in.

"I can't get the wig to go on correctly," Miley said, the hair clutched in her hand.

"Give it here," Mia said, her hand outstretched in front of her. Placing the wig into her hand, Miley turned to sit back in the seat in front of her vanity mirror. "So you look pretty."

"Thanks," she mumbled, pulling at the hem of her sweater. It was a little chilly outside, and surprisingly not snowing, so she had decided to wear a pair of jeans with a simple purple sweater.

"Where are you guys going tonight?"

Miley shrugged, making sure her make-up was just right. "He didn't tell me, just said it was a surprise."

"Surprise huh?" Mia smirked. "Sounds interesting."

Miley rolled her blue eyes at her. "It's not like that. We are just friends."

"Mmhmm…" Mia hummed, nodding her head. "That what they all say nowadays." She finished helping Miley put on the wig, passing a brush through the strands to get all the tangles out. "So is he picking you up or are you meeting him somewhere?"

"Meeting him," she answered, putting on a layer of sheer, pink lip gloss. "He told me to meet him at Central Park, in front of the Fifth Avenue entrance."

"Do you want me to drop you off?"

"Yes please," Miley replied, smiling sweetly making Mia laugh at her.

Close to an hour later, because of good ol' New York traffic, Mia was driving down Fifth Avenue. Miley was sitting quietly in the passenger seat, her hands subconsciously fidgeting with her cell phone. She didn't know why, but she was getting the first date jitters again. They only got worse when the entrance to the park came into view and she could see him standing there waiting for her.

"You going to be okay?" Mia asked, glancing at her.

Miley nodded her head. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Just checking," Mia replied, focusing back on the road and coming to a stop in front of a patiently waiting Nick. "You look like you're about to crush your phone with your bare hands."

Looking down, Miley finally noticed how white her knuckles had turned because of her grip on her phone. Letting go, she flexed her fingers before picking up her purse from the floor in front of her and opening the passenger side door. Nick was at her side, holding the door open for her right as she stepped one foot onto the sidewalk. Smiling at him, she got out of the car before turning around to tell Mia thank you. Waving politely, Nick closed the door of the car before turning his attention back to the girl in front of him.

"Hey," Miley greeted, giving him a friendly hug.

"Hi," he smiled.

"So what do you have planned tonight?" she asked him, curious to know what the surprise was.

He gave her another smile before placing a hand on her elbow and guiding her into the park. "You will just have to wait and see." Miley pouted. She didn't like not knowing and her curiosity was slowly tearing her apart inside. Chuckling at her, Nick kept walking. "So how has your week been?

She made a face, clearly showing him just how her week had been. "I had to pick up some extra responsibilities and meet with some potential clients today. It was not fun at all."

"I know what you mean," he said, agreeing with her. "I hate dealing with clients too."

"How has your week been?" she asked, wanting to keep the conversation going. Sitting in silence was okay, but walking in silence was a whole other situation that Miley didn't like to go through. "Anything exciting happen?"

"Nope, nothing exciting at all," he answered with a laugh. "Just the usual… work and family dinner."

"That must be nice, having family dinner every week." Miley said, looping her arm through his. It just felt like the right thing to do at the moment. "I haven't had a family dinner, which is usually just me and my dad, in at least a month. He's always too busy with work or on a business trip somewhere."

"I'm sorry," Nick apologize sympathetically. "Are you close with your dad?"

Miley shook her head. "Not really, no. I was never a daddy's girl, I was always closer to my mother and her death kinda magnified the distance that was always between me and him." she answered nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders at the same time. "I don't mind though. He was always a workaholic and I didn't expect him to change his ways to try and fit into my life."

"What does he do?"

"Oh um…" Miley stalled, trying to come up with an answer. "He manages the American branch of an international company."

"That sounds interesting," Nick said.

"Yeah, I guess."

"What happened to your mom?" he asked, mentally slapping himself after the words had come out but he couldn't help his curiosity. He knew it was never a good idea to ask something so personal so soon. "That is, if you don't mind me asking."

She gave him a weak smile, feeling his embarrassment for asking her that question. "I don't mind, people just don't ask me that a lot."

"I'm sorry," he quickly apologized, not wanting to offend her. "You don't have to answer it. It was a stupid question anyways."

"Oh no it's okay, really." she said, trying to reassure him that she really wasn't offended by his question. It was perfectly natural for people to be curious about a tragedy. "She was sick for awhile and the treatment she was going through wasn't making any progress. We all kinda knew what was coming, but we tried to ignore it." She was surprised at how calm and collected she was being. "Well, after she was gone things just wasn't the same between me and my dad. We both kinda fell apart without her, she was always the glue that held the family together."

He glanced at her, wondering how someone as young as her could go through losing her mother and being distant with her father, and why she would be working at an investment company on top of that. The only reason he was working at one was because his family owned it. "So how did you come to working at Stewart?"

"Um… I'm not really sure," she answered. "The job opportunity kinda just fell into my lap and it seemed like the natural thing for me to work there."

"So what would you be doing if the opportunity didn't fall into your lap?"

"Well I don't know what I would be doing job wise," she said, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. "but I know that I would have liked to be doing something dealing with photography. It's always been a dream of mine to have my photos be displayed in a gallery or a magazine spread of some sort."

He could see her passion just by the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about her favorite pastime. "Then why aren't you pursuing that dream instead of working in a boring business company?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes you have to put your dreams on hold for more important things." He nodded, unsure of what to say to that. And so they continued walking arm in arm, Miley breaking the silence after a couple of minutes. "So where exactly are we walking to?"

"Somewhere," he replied with a smirk, knowing that it was bothering her. "We're almost there." They walked a couple more steps before Nick stopped her, pulling out a black blindfold from his back pocket. "Do you trust me?"

"Um… I'm not… really sure," Miley said, her eyes darting back and forth from his face and the blindfold in his hand. "For all I know you could be kidnapping me or something."

"Nah, that's for the fourth date," he joked, making Miley's ears prick at the word 'date'. "Don't worry, I'm not kidnapping you. It's just part of the surprise."

"Okay then…" she answered hesitantly, turning around so he could place the blindfold over her eyes.

He secured the fabric, making sure she couldn't see before taking both of her hands in his. "Follow my lead."

"I'm gonna trip and fall," Miley whined, her hands latching on to his.

"I won't let you," he answered with a laugh. Leading the way, he made sure there was nothing she could trip over.

Hearing voices and music getting nearer the farther they walked, she tried to listen for a clue as to where they were going. "Where are we?" she asked when he brought her to a stop. He chuckled at her impatience before taking the blindfold off. Opening her eyes, she took in the scene before her, feeling her eyes start to slightly water.

"It's the fair," he answered with a smile, standing next to her. "You said you haven't done a lot of things and I thought since you enjoyed ice skating so much you would enjoy coming to the fair." He glanced over at her to see how her reaction, panicking when he saw tears at the corner of her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just thought you would like it but we don't have to go."

"No, it's not anything like that." She shook her head, smiling tearfully at him. "My mom use to bring me here every year when I was little," she explained, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I guess talking about her and then coming here made me a little emotional," she sniffled. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault," Nick said, relieved that he wasn't the one that made her cry. He gave her a comforting hug, rubbing her back in soothing circles. "We can go do something else if you want."

She shook her head against his shoulder, breathing in his scent to try and calm herself. "This is perfect," she said, reluctantly letting go of him and taking a step back to make eye contact. Seeing the hesitation in his eyes, she took the initiative and pulled on his arm towards the entrance to the fair. "Come on, I bet I could win a bigger stuffed animal than you."

Seeing genuine excitement in her eyes, Nick laughed at her absurd challenge. "We'll see about that."

They spent a good part of the night playing the games, riding the kiddy rides, and eating cotton candy until they were both suffering from sugar highs. They even took a picture with one of those cutout boards you stand behind of and put your face through the whole. And as she promised, Miley had managed to win a bigger stuffed animal than Nick. But only because she bribed the worker to give it to her, so technically it didn't count or at least that's what he argued. Currently walking off their sugar intake, Miley stopped to look up at the Ferris wheel.

Coming to stand beside her, he watched as she watched the ride. "Do you want to ride it?"

She shook her head. "I was never brave enough to go on. I can't even count all the times my mom use to try and get me to ride it with her. But I was just too scared," she said, smiling at the memory.

Taking her hand in his, he started pulling her towards the ride's gate. "What are you doing?"

"Taking you on the ride," he answered like that was common sense.

"No," she exclaimed, resisting against his pull. "I couldn't do it with my mom and I can't do it now."

"Yes you can," he said as he came to a stop in front of the gate, turning around to look at her, fear in her eyes. "You don't want your mom thinking that she raised a beautiful woman to be scared of a carnival ride." She didn't hear anything he said after he called her beautiful. She was called pretty or fashionable, but no one ever called her beautiful. "Come on…"

She looked up at the ride, her eyes following the circular motion. "I don't know."

"Make your mother proud," he said, giving her an encouraging smile while tugging lightly on her hand.

She took a deep breath, feeling guilty when he mentioned her mother. She had tried so hard to get her to ride the ride at least once, and every time Miley had told her no. "Okay…" she whispered softly.

Smiling triumphantly, Nick turned to the ride operator to give him their last tickets just as the ride was ending. Opening the gate, he stepped aside to let her walk before him. She cautiously walked towards the swinging seat, slowly sitting down on it, making Nick laugh at her antics. Sitting down next to her, he locked the railing into place before placing a hand over hers to let her know he would be right by her side.

"You ready?"

Nodding her head, she quickly shut her eyes when they started moving, turning her palm upwards to lace her fingers through his. She didn't know what exactly she was scared of. When she was younger it was because she was scared of heights, but that couldn't be the reason today. Her office was on the fourteenth floor and her window overlooked New York city, she couldn't possibly still be scared of heights.

Rubbing circles on her hand, he watched her. "Open your eyes Destiny," he coaxed. "You can see a lot of Central Park up here." She shook her head, keeping her eyes shut tight. "Come on, we didn't get on this ride so you could sit through the whole thing with your eyes closed."

Feeling pressured, and a part of her knew he was right, she slowly inched her eyes open little by little. Fully opening her eyes, she took in the view and conquered her fears. "Pretty isn't it?" Nick asked her.

It was beyond pretty. "It is," she answered, smiling at him. She looked up at the sky, silently telling her mother she loved her before the ride was over. "Thank you," she said to Nick as they got off the ride. He didn't know it, but he had helped her in more ways than one.

He smiled at her, offering his arm so she could loop hers through. They left the fair shortly after, walking back towards the entrance they had come through. It was still fairly early, so Nick suggested they sit and talk for awhile. Agreeing, he led her over to a patch of grass and they both laid side by side under the clear sky. "Did you have fun tonight?"

"Mmhmm…" Miley answered. "I needed tonight. It was therapeutic in a way."

"Well I'm glad I can help," Nick replied.

They laid in silent for a moment, just soaking in everything that happened tonight. "So what's your story?" Miley asked after awhile, breaking the silence.

"My story?"

"Yeah, I told you stuff about me. It's only fair you tell me something in return," Miley said.

"What do you want to know?" Nick asked.

"How is your relationship with your family?"

"Well I guess you can say we're all pretty close," Nick replied. "Me and my three brothers are the typical brothers who don't always get along, but we really are each others' best friend. My parents are the best parents I could ask for."

"That must be nice," Miley commented.

"It can be," Nick laughed. "There are times when it's nice to not be around them. But it's kinda hard since we all practically work in the same place."

"Why did you decide to go into your family business?"

Miley felt Nick shrug his shoulders beside her. "I guess it's kinda like your situation. It just felt natural for me to work at the company."

Getting up to lean on an elbow, Miley looked at him. "So what would you be doing if you didn't choose to work for your family?"

"I'm not really sure either," he replied, still looking at the sky. Miley took in his features, sensing a feeling of familiarity but she wasn't sure why.

"Well what do you like doing?"

"Music. I like playing my guitar and writing songs." Nick smiled, turning to look at her. "That's my form of therapy."

"Will I ever get a chance to hear a song you've written?" she asked, putting on her best puppy dog face.

"Maybe…" Nick smirked.

Breaking out into a smile, Miley went to lay back down on the grass. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You said you were biased when it came to Miley Stewart," she stated. She was curious to know why he didn't like her. "and I guess that's acceptably considering your family history with her. But shouldn't you be more mad at her father and not her?"

Nick gulped. "That's how it should be." He placed both his hands under his head, taking some time to think of the correct words to say so that he wouldn't offend her again. "It's a lot more complicated than that I guess who can say."

"Complicated how?" she questioned. She knew she was being invasive, but her curiosity had gotten the best of her long ago.

"It's not Miley Stewart that I hate per se." He let out a long sigh. "I guess I dislike the group of people she is apart of."

Miley furrowed her brows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I had a bad breakup a few years ago," he said, making Miley rethink every guy she had ever been on a date with. Surely she would have remembered him. "I know I'm only twenty-one now, but I really was ready to marry her back then. But it turns out she didn't feel the same way, she never told me because I never got around to actually proposing to her, but she made it pretty clear when I found her with another guy."

Miley sucked in a sharp breath, feeling sympathy for him. She didn't say anything, didn't try to console him because she didn't know what she could say to make him feel better or even if he needed to be consoled. So she waited for him to continue his explanation.

"I never dated Miley, if that's what you're thinking," he said. "But the girl I did date, she was from the same social class and I guess I've just become bitter towards girls of the upper east side, or the socialites. They only seem to be after one thing."

It made sense now. It wasn't that he hated her as a person, he hated the person she represented and as much as she wanted to tell him that not of the girls are like that, she knew those words wouldn't mean anything to years of pent up bitterness. His confession also made it clear that she could never let him know who she really was.

* * *

**So there it is… Nick and Miley are slowly starting to get closer and are connecting in more ways than one and you also get a glance into what they are really feeling. It will still be at least one or two more chapters until Nick will find out her secret but there is a little bit of foreshadowing in this chapter. Leave your ideas in reviews as to what's gonna happen if you happened to catch them. **

**And I'm so sorry once again! I promise to try not to make you guys wait so long, but that promise isn't very concrete… so don't get your hopes up. But like I said… if you want to check on my progress with the next chapter or a sneak peek just pm me and I'll see if I can help you. But only one sneak peek per chapter!**

**Onto other news, Tiffany and I started a joint account that we are writing on (that's another reason why I've been putting off writing for this story) and that page can be found under my favorite authors. It's just a cute little niley story that's really random. But you should give it a try anyways because it wouldn't hurt. Oh and if you go onto the main page of that joint account you can find a link to our forum where we will be posting up writing challenges that you can be apart of. There are prizes… that aren't all that great… but the best prize would be the satisfaction of writing an awesome story! You can also find a place where you can leave a challenge for us. We'll write anything you want us to write about… even other pairs… like *shudders* nelena. But yeah… do me a favor and go check it out and take part in the challenge and read our story and leave a review… and favorite us! Okay… I'm done… no more asking you guys for favors.**

**Thanks again! Reviews are appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 5

**I know… I know… I seriously suck at updating… but it's not all my fault! Blame it on my professors who insist on assigning a crapload of homework. Which I totally forgot to bring home with me when I came home for the break. So now I'm way behind on homework… and I totally should have been working on my speech today but I decided against it and wrote instead. So see… I'm risking failing my classes to update! lol**

* * *

Surprises are typically unsuspecting and can come in many different shapes and sizes. They can come in perfectly wrapped boxes, in a sparkly colored gift bag, or in a form of a beautifully healthy baby. But whatever form the surprise may come in, it is not what it is that is important. But rather it is the thought process that is behind the surprise, the emotional meaning the person presenting the gift wanted the object to process that is important.

-xox-

Miley was currently buried under a pile of paperwork she had to look over and approve. She and Mia had been working on it for the past two days and still had not manage to put a dent into it. In fact the pile seemed to grow in size rather than shrink down much to Miley's chagrin. She had yet to figure out just how her father had been able to not be piled under a permanent mountain of never ending paper. She was very close in having a nervous breakdown and the only thing that kept her going was the fact that Christmas was in less than a week and that meant that pretty soon she would be able to have a couple days off of work for some much needed rest and relaxation.

The sound of Mia's cell phone caused both of their thought processes to be interrupted and their eyes to dart over to the phone vibrating its way towards the edge of the desk. "Sorry," Mia apologized, quickly grabbing the still ringing phone before it fell. Glancing at the screen, Mia looked up at Miley who was watching her and wondering why she hadn't picked it up yet. "Excuse me," Mia said before abruptly getting up and walking out of the office, closing the door and leaving a very confused Miley behind.

"Well that was weird," Miley muttered to herself before going back to the task at hand.

After thirty minutes had passed and still no sign of Mia's return, Miley put down her pen and turned her chair to face the window. It finally snowed and she could see the streets covered with the cold, wet ice, causing traffic to be worse than usual. But despite that, the sun was shining, making the which snow glisten which in turn caused the city to look like it was glowing.

Deciding that she deserved a little break from work, Miley walked over to her closet to grab her camera and take a little excursion. Stopping short when she didn't find it sitting on the vanity, she searched for it in ever place she could think of before coming to a stop in the center of the office with her hands on her hips. Furrowing in her eyebrows in confusion, she walked over to the door of the office in search of Mia.

She didn't have to go very far since Mia was standing a few steps ahead with her back to Miley. "and she will love it," Mia said to whoever was on the phone, oblivious to the fact that Miley was standing behind her. Now wanting to eavesdrop, Miley cleared her throat, causing Mia to jump before turning around. "Oh hey," she said quickly, bringing the phone away from her ear. "I didn't hear you open the door."

Too worried about her camera, Miley didn't question Mia about the phone call. "Sorry, I was wondering if you knew where my camera is. I can't seem to find it."

Mia shook her head. "Sorry," she apologized. "I haven't seen it."

"Nevermind then," Miley replied, looking like a lost puppy. "I'll look for it when I go home. Sorry I interrupted." She gave Mia a weak smile before closing the door to the office.

"That was close," Mia sighed, bringing the phone back to her ear. "Hello?"

-xox-

Nick let out the breath he was holding, finally stopping the pacing he had been doing and leaned against the edge of his desk. "Did she hear anything?"

"No, at least I don't think so," Mia answered, unsure if she actually had or not. "I think she was too worried about her camera."

"Okay good," he sighed in relief.

"We should probably wrap this up," she suggested while staring at the door to Miley's office. "I think she's going to tear apart the office looking for it."

"Right, one last thing," Nick said before she could hang up. "I'm gonna take her there after dinner so will you be able to go early and make sure everything is in order?"

"Yeah I'll be happy to help," Mia replied.

"Thanks. That should be it for now then," he said, getting ready to end the call.

"Oh hey Nick?" Mia called, making him stay on the line for just a little while longer. "If you have the time, give her a call. She's had a pretty rough week and I think it would do her some good to get to talk to you."

"I will," Nick said, making a mental not to call her tonight. He had been so busy planning her surprise that he had hardly talked to her since their date two weeks ago. Promising that he would set aside some time to call her, Nick said goodbye to Mia, thanking her for her help, and ended their call so they could both get back to work.

-xox-

Collapsing onto her couch, Miley let out a frustrated groan. She had spent a good portion of the last two hours searching high and low for some sign of her camera. Not finding it in any of the places she could think of, Miley started to get frustrated with herself for misplacing the camera. After losing the original camera her mother had given her, she had worked twice as hard to keep this camera safe and now she couldn't find it.

Saying that she was upset with herself was an understatement, she was absolutely furious with herself at the moment.

Hearing her ringtone going off, she reached for the phone sitting on the coffee table in front of her. Checking to see who the caller was, her finger hesitantly hovered over the answer button. Her frustrations were extending towards him and it made her internally debate over whether or not she wanted to talk to him. Letting it ring a couple more times, Miley sighed dejectedly before pressing the button.

"Hello," she answered half heartedly as she fell back onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling of her room.

"Hey," Nick said in return, hearing the tone of her voice. "You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," she sighed, calming down by the sound of his voice. As much of a rampage she had just been on, she couldn't deny the fact that she had missed hearing his voice. "I've just been really tired lately."

"I'm sorry," he sympathized, truly concerned about her. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No," she replied, getting off the couch to move into her bedroom. "But enough about me, how are you?"

"I've been doing good," he answered. ""Work has been sucking lately, but that's nothing new."

"I know what you mean," she laughed, walking over to her balcony doors. Opening the doors, she stepped out into the night, the peacefulness being interrupted by the sudden flashes of light. Mentally slapping herself for momentarily forgetting about the paparazzi outside her house, she put on her media face and waved before stepping back inside the safety of her room. "Work has definitely been very sucky lately."

"Well since work has been bad for the both of us, how about you let me take you out to dinner Tuesday night?" Nick asked smoothly.

"Tuesday night…" Miley said, looking at a calendar: December 23rd. That meant she had three days to go on a shopping trip and get him a present. "Okay, I'll let you take me out Tuesday night."

"Good," he said, Miley practically hearing the smile in his voice. "I had already made the dinner reservations anyways."

"Well aren't you confident," she joked, slipping under the covers of her bed. "What would you have done if I had said no?"

"Hmm…" Nick contemplated his answer, he really didn't think about what he would do if she had said no. "I guess I would have went to a dinner date by myself and would have looked like a loner."

"How tragic," she replied monotonously.

"How tragic? I say I would have to have dinner by myself and you say 'how tragic'?" he retorted, amusement in his tone of voice.

Miley laughed. "Yep. But I'm sure you would have been able to find some pretty girl to take my place." They bantered back and forth for an hour, catching up on the time they had loss the past couple of weeks due to their busy schedules before saying goodnight to each other, promising to see each other at dinner in a couple days.

-xox-

Miley pinned a lock of her curls back and into a side-ponytail type hairstyle, her bangs pulled to one side. Her makeup was done to look natural and she kept her accessories to a minimum, not wanting to look over extravagant. She was currently at Mia's place, getting ready for her date with Nick.

"Well don't you look lovely," Mia commented, leaning against the doorframe of her master bathroom. She had the look of a proud mother in her eyes as she watched Miley. "Nick won't be able to keep his eyes off of you tonight."

"Thank you," Miley blushed, turning around to face Mia. "You don't think it's too much?"

"No," Mia replied, taking a step towards her. She brushed back a lock of her hair, making sure the wig was securely placed. "You look perfect."

Nick scurried around his apartment, making last minute phone calls to make sure everything was in order for tonight. He was suppose to be picking Destiny up in less than an hour and he was only halfway dressed at this point. Heading towards his bedroom to finish getting ready, he was interrupted by the sound of a knock on his front door. Wondering who it could possibly be, he turned around to answer the door only to find his annoying older brother standing there.

"Hey little bro," Joe greeted with a smile as he stepped into the apartment.

"What are you doing here?" Nick questioned.

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I would stop by," his older brother answered, turning around to face him and taking in his appearance for the first time. "Is there an event we are suppose to be at tonight?"

"What?" Nick replied, a confused look on his face.

Joe pointed at his clothes, his white dress shirt half-way buttoned and a black tie hanging loosely around his neck. "Is there a reason you are dressed up? Because I don't remember being told there was a company event we needed to be at tonight."

"No, there is no event we have to be at tonight," Nick answered, trying to dodge the real question. He walked around his older brother, heading down the hallway and into his room to finish getting dressed.

"Well then why are you dressed so spiffy?" Joe questioned, clearly not letting the subject go as he followed Nick into his room, taking a seat on the side of the bed.

Nick ignored the question, going into the bathroom to check his appearance. "Well if you aren't going to straight out tell me, will you tell me if I guess correctly?" Joe badgered, trying to get an answer out of him. He was never good with minding his own business.

Nick shrugged his shoulders, not saying yes or no. "Well okay…" Joe began, racking his brain for all the possibilities. He sat muttering under his breath as Nick just rolled his eyes, continuing on with what he was doing. "It's a date!" Joe suddenly exclaimed after thinking for a couple of minutes. "You're going on a date."

If he said yes Joe would make a big deal and if he said no than Joe would somehow see through his lie, so he opted to play it safe. So he didn't confirm anything, instead he took great interest in one specific curl on his head, keeping his eyes trained on his reflection in the mirror.

"So who's the girl?" Joe asked, leaning against the frame of the bathroom door.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nick lied, trying his hardest not to make eye contact with his older brother which only made it more obvious that he was lying.

"Is it that Destiny girl you said you had offended that one time?" Nick just shrugged his shoulders, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips at the mention of her name. Seeing the sparkle in his eyes at the sound of her name, Joe smirked. "Mom was right."

Confused by his comment, Nick looked towards his brother. "What do you mean 'mom was right'?"

"Nothing," Joe replied, turning around to walk back over to the bed and taking a seat. His curiosity getting the best of him, Nick followed him out and stood in front of him, waiting for an explanation. "Fine, I'll tell you," Joe huffed dramatically. "She just said that your attitude had changed in the last couple of weeks. You were smiling and laughing a lot more and you weren't as anti-social as you usually are at the family dinners."

"That's not true," Nick argued.

Joe gave his little brother a 'are you serious' look. "Nick, think back to all the family dinners before last week and count how many times you actually took part and told stories that were actually funny."

"Okay, so maybe I was a little anti-social," Nick agreed. "But how did mom know it was a girl?"

"Easy," Joe shrugged. "You haven't acted this way since… awhile back." Seeing Nick flinch at the mention of his failed relationship, Joe quickly changed the subject. "So what are you doing tonight?"

"It's a surprise," Nick answered, grabbing his wallet on the bedside table before slipping it into his back pocket. He picked up his black jacket laying on the bed and pulled it on before putting on his black dress shoes. Stopping in front of his full length mirror, he smoothed any creases he could see before turning back to his brother. "As much as I loved this little visit, I really need to go before I'm late."

Jumping off the bed, Joe gave his brother a quick pat on the shoulder. "Have fun tonight," he said, making his way down the hall and towards the front door. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he joked, earning a roll of the eyes from Nick before leaving.

Left alone in peace, Nick made sure he had everything before leaving to pick Destiny up.

-xox-

Miley fastened the straps of her black stilettos, taking a last look in the mirror before walking out of Mia's bedroom and into the living room where Mia and her family were watching TV. Hearing the clicking noise of her heels, they all looked up to see Miley walk into the room wearing a form-fitting, one shoulder, black satin that came to a stop a little above her knee. "Is this okay?" she asked, biting her lower lip out of nervousness.

"Absolutely stunning," Stephen, Mia's husband commented, making Miley blush at his compliment.

"Thank you," she replied with a shy smile.

"Miley pretty," Abbie exclaimed, wrapping her little arms around Miley's legs, her way of telling people she wanted to be held.

Laughing, Miley bent over to pick her up, tickling her in the process. "Why thank you Miss Abbie," Miley said, making the little girl squeal with laughter.

Mia stood off to the side by her husband, watching as Miley played with their daughter. The little girl absolutely adored her, and Miley made sure that no matter how busy she was, she made time for Abbie at least once a week. Hearing the doorbell ring, Mia nudged Stephen to go answer the door while Miley, who was oblivious to the visitor at the door twirled Abbie around in circles.

"Hello Nick," Mia greeted when him and Stephen walked back into the living room.

"Hi," he replied, giving her a smile before turning his attention towards Miley, who was in a laughing fit with a five year old girl.

"Ahem," Mia coughed, trying to get her attention. "Des? Destiny?"

Realizing that she was being called, Miley looked up to see three very amused people standing there watching her. Her cheeks already flushed pink from playing with Abbie, turned a little darker as she set the little girl down on her feet. "Hi, I didn't hear you come in," Miley said to Nick.

"I just got here," Nick replied with a smile. She was radiating, and not just because she was slightly sweaty, but because she looked amazing. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," she smiled at him, her cheeks flushing pink once again. "Let me just put on my coat and we can go."

Seeing her coat laying on the back of the couch, he reached it before she could, holding it out to help her put it on. "Thanks," she said as she slipped one arm into it and then did the same with the other, turning her back to him. Mia caught her eye, smiling knowingly at her. Knowing exactly what she was thinking, Miley rolled her eyes at her. Buttoning up her coat, she turned around and thanked Nick again before kneeling down to say bye to Abbie. "I'll come over in a day or two to see you again okay Miss Abbie?"

The little girl nodded, throwing her arms around Miley's neck before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Don't forget cupcakes!" she exclaimed.

Laughing, Miley nodded. "I won't," she promised, getting her lip gloss all over Abbie's face as she peppered her face with kisses as the little girl squealed.

Stephen cleared his throat as Mia and Nick just watched in amusement. "Time for bed Abbie."

She pouted, reluctantly letting go of Miley. But before rushing off to her father's side, she gave Miley one last hug, whispering in her ear, "He's cute."

Nick smiled, overhearing her comment as he leaned against the couch, watching their interactions. Miley glanced up at him, a twinkle in her eyes before she turned back to Abbie. "I think so too," she replied, kissing the little girl one last time on her forehead before telling her to go to bed. She watched the girl run off towards her room, Stephen telling them to have a good time before going after her. "You ready to go?" she asked, turning towards Nick.

"Yep," he answered, pushing himself off the couch. He walked over to Mia, saying goodbye, exchanging a knowing glance before he walked over to the door to wait for Miley.

Checking to make sure she had everything she needed, Miley picked up her black clutch before telling Mia thank you and goodbye. "Have fun tonight," Mia said as she watched them walk out the front door.

Holding open the door for her, Nick waited until she walked out before closing the door to the house and coming to walk beside her towards his waiting car. She smiled at him, entwining her arm through his as she stepped cautiously through the snow in her heels. "So where are we going for dinner tonight?"

"Somewhere," he smirked, fully knowing that it drove her insane when he never told her where they were going or what they were doing. She pouted, trying to guilt him into telling her, but he wouldn't budge. Laughing, Nick opened the car door for her and waited for her to get in before closing the door for her. "Oh, and I think you're pretty cute too," he said just as the door was about to close.

He grinned to himself as he walked over to the driver side. There was just something about her that made him much more bold than he usually was, but she also made him a babbling nervous wreck most of the time. Getting into his car, he could still see faint traces of pink in her cheeks, most likely due to his comment, which made his grin even bigger. Starting the car, he pulled out of the driveway and onto the road.

"So Abbie is a cute girl," Nick commented.

She turned towards him after a few seconds, not noticing he was talking to her. "Huh?" Miley had been in her own little world, watching the blur of city lights passing by them and just enjoying being with Nick. "Oh," she exclaimed, finally comprehending his words. "She's adorable and talks way too much. Mia swears she's taking after me," Miley said with a laugh.

"I bet Mia is thrilled about that," Nick replied with his own laugh.

"It's more like she probably regrets making me Abbie's godmother," Miley joked. "She probably wished she chose someone quieter for Abbie to take after."

Nick smiled, glancing at her. "So you and Mia are really close then?"

"Oh yeah, Mia and I have known each other since I was fourteen or so." Miley explained. "My mom had hired her to help me… us when she was getting sick and Mia decided to stick around all these years." she said with a smile. "She's taken on the mom role with me when she's not being the best friend."

They continued talking about random topics, their favorite movie, her favorite ice cream flavor, his favorite band, until Nick pulled up to the valet stand of Felidia, an upscale New York Italian restaurant. "You're spoiling me Mr. Jonas," Miley said as she placed her hand into his outstretched one and climbed out of the car.

"Only the best for you," he said with a smile, making her blush. Chuckling, he took the valet ticket before placing a hand on her lower back and guiding her towards the entrance of the restaurant.

Miley panicked when she saw the crowd of paparazzi standing outside, flinching when she saw a couple flashes of lights. Dropping her head down, she felt Nick lean into her. "Don't worry, they aren't interested in me." he said with a hint of laughter in his voice. "They just take my picture if I happen to show up where they are since I'm known as the evil nemesis of the Stewart heiress."

Miley looked up at him shyly. If only he knew.

He walked a little quicker, opening the door to the restaurant for her. Spotting him, the hostess promptly came over and showed them to their seats, allowing them to bypass the crowd waiting for tables. Nick let her slide into the circular shaped booth first before sliding in after her.

Breathing a little easier, relaxing a little bit as she took off her coat. "This is a really pretty place."

To any onlooker they looked like a happy couple, enjoying a nice romantic dinner. They fell into the comfortableness they were use to through dinner, talking and laughing. Sometime during the night, Nick's arm ended up around her shoulder, his fingers absently tracing circles on the exposed skin as they carried on with their conversation.

"You ready to go?" Nick asked once they had finished dessert and he had taken care of the bill.

Miley nodded, Nick letting his arm drop from around her as he slid out of the booth first. She pulled on her coat before following after him, taking his hand when she reached the edge. Smiling up at him, he helped pull her up before walking hand in hand with her towards the exit. They walked outside, the cold air making Miley step closer to him as she headed towards the valet stand. But he pulled her towards the opposite direction, causing her to look at him in confusion.

"I have a surprise," he simply said, making her confused look turn into a pout.

"You know I don't like surprises."

He smiled. "I know you don't. But that doesn't mean I don't like giving them to you."

She huffed, walking silently beside him as he lead her along the streets of New York in silence. But it wasn't long before she couldn't take it anymore and started talking again. "Thank you for tonight."

He smiled at her, pulling her a little closer into his embrace. "You welcome, but you don't even know what your surprise is yet."

"I don't… but I know I'll love it," she replied, looking up at him. "I just wanted to tell you know just in case I forget later on."

He kissed the top of her head, taking a deep breath to commit her smell to memory. It was sweet with just a touch of cinnamon. Walking a little longer, he stopped her in front of a dark building. Pulling out a piece of black fabric, he motioned for her to turn around so he could blindfold her. "It adds to the surprise factor," he said, making her roll her eyes at him before she turned around.

Successfully tying the cloth securely, he led her into the building and down the hall to a brightly lit room. "Ready?" She nodded, holding her breath.

He undid the knot, letting the fabric slip from in front of her eyes. He watched as she slowly opened her eyes and looked around before her eyes settled onto the only sign in the all white room. Her eyes watered, tears collecting at the corner as she read the words on the sign.

The Destiny Hope Exhibit.

She didn't say anything. She just turned towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist and buried her face into his jacket covered chest. "Thank you," she mumbled against him, the tears finally spilling over.

"You welcome," he replied as he just held her. They stood there in each others arms for a while, Nick waiting until she had regained her composure. "Come on, there's more to see."

He took her hand, leading her into the next room where she was surprised by her friends. Nick smiled as he watched her run over to them, giving each and every one of them a hug. Feeling a presence next to him, he looked over to his left to see Lily and Oliver standing next to him.

"You did good," Oliver said, giving him a firm handshake. "I don't think I've ever seen her this happy."

Lily nodded in agreement, giving him a friendly hug before they both walked back to the group. He knew what they were doing, they were giving him their friend seal of approval.

He had rented the whole gallery out, and so her pictures were spread out among a number of rooms. Letting her spend some time with her friends, he walked around looking at her pictures. He knew she said she liked to experiment with photography, but he didn't expect her to be as good as she was. Every one of her pictures had an emotion in it and it made you wonder what the story behind it was.

He walked from room to room, getting interrupted every so often by one of her friends coming to talk to him or by Miley herself coming to give him a hug every time they crossed paths. Towards the end of the night everyone was coming up to him to say goodbye, so he played good host and walked them to the front door before going in search of Miley. Walking through each room, he found her in the very last one, looking at a picture on the back wall.

He walked towards her, coming to a stop right behind her, his footsteps echoing throughout the room. "It was you," she said without turning around.

"What?"

She glanced back at him and then back to the picture. "The guy in the park, it was you." Still not understanding what she was saying, he looked up at the picture. "I was at the park one day taking pictures and I took this one," she started to explain. "It became one of my favorites and I was going to go up and introduce myself to you but other things came up."

"Funny how things happen." She turned around to face him, a smile on her face. "Just think, we could have met without the whole running into each other ordeal."

He studied the picture, remembering back to that day. His family had decided that they wanted to play football and so they all went out to the park. "I guess it was destiny for us to meet then," Nick said, looking back down at her.

"I guess so."

"Oh!" he exclaimed suddenly, causing Miley to jump. "I forgot to give you your Christmas present," he said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a perfectly wrapped rectangular box with a silver bow perched neatly on one of the corners.

"What?" Miley asked, her eyes becoming wide as she looked at the box in his hand. "Really Nick, this is all too much already. Dinner and then this," she said as she waved her hand around. "I think you've given me enough presents."

"The gallery wasn't a present," he said with a smile. "I was just helping you achieve one of your dreams."

He placed the box in her hand, enclosing her fingers around it. "It's really nothing after this. I guess I should have given it to you before I brought you here." he chuckled nervously, running a hand through his curls.

She hesitantly ripped a part of the wrapping paper off, exposing the velvet blue surface of the jewelry box she now knew she was holding. Sucking in a breath, she pulled off the remaining paper and slowly opened the box to find a simple white gold, diamond bracelet sitting inside. "Nick," her voice quivered. "This really is too much. I can't accept this."

"Of course you can," he said. He was being bold again. Taking the box from her, he took the bracelet out of it and held it in one hand as he pulled one of her hands up with the other. "My mom always said that girls like you should be spoiled with diamonds," he told her as he placed the bracelet around her left wrist.

She didn't know what to say, a guy had just bought her jewelry and guys don't buy jewelry unless it was a serious relationship. But what they had wasn't even a relationship, they were just dating. "Thank you," she finally said as she lightly ran her fingers over the new accessory. She didn't know what else to say, and truthfully her mind was on her pathetic gift she had gotten him that was currently sitting on Mia's coffee table waiting for when he dropped her off.

They spent a little more time walking around the gallery together, Nick listening to her tell stories as to why she had taken a particular story before they decided it was late and he should really get her home. They walked back towards the restaurant to get Nick's car before he headed back towards Mia's house.

"What are you doing for New Years?"

Miley looked up from her present that was sitting on her wrist. "I'm not sure yet. Why?"

Bold Nick was gone, replaced by the nervous wreck Nick. "Well my brothers and I usually have a New Years Eve party every year and I was wondering if you would like to come."

She contemplated the invitation for awhile, debating whether or not she could risk it by meeting other people. She knew the wig worked on Nick because he didn't know what she really looked like, but she wasn't sure if any of his brothers knew who she was.

"You could invite Lily and Traci and whoever they would like to bring if you want." he quickly added when she didn't respond right away.

Deciding that she owed him her life after tonight, she nodded. "I would like that, thank you."

-xox-

The week after her date with Nick went fairly smooth. Miley was able to spend some time with her dad over Christmas, but she mostly spent her vacation time with Mia and her family. She was even able to do some normal things like go to the movies with Traci and shop without having a pack of rabid paparazzi following her. The wig let her be herself and she would be perfectly fine with never taking it off. But the media was starting to miss her and so she had to make a few trips as Miley just to make the world a happy place.

Her Destiny world was definitely a happy place. Nick called her almost every night, unless his brothers got in the way, and they would talk for hours. The bracelet he gave her never left her wrist even though she had made a big deal about it when he gave it to her. Truth was she loved that bracelet.

Work had slowed down and her responsibilities have returned to normal since her father came back from his business trip so she wasn't as stressed. All in all, she was happy.

Happy, yes. But at the moment she was also nervous and a little worried about the way tonight was going to play out. Luckily, she wasn't going to be alone and would have Lily and Oliver and Traci and her date with her tonight.

"Hey, you ready?" Traci asked as she popped her head into the room

"Almost, I'll be out soon," she answered.

Traci nodded and walked out, leaving Miley to herself. She took a deep breath, smoothing down her navy blue sweater dress before pulling on her boots and coat. Grabbing her purse, she walked outside to meet the rest of the group in the car, cursing the cold air that enveloped her. Getting into Oliver's car, they headed towards Nick's brother's house.

"Whoa," Oliver exclaimed as they pulled up to a house as big as Miley's.

Miley rolled her eyes. "Come on Ollie, they aren't my family's rivals for nothing."

He parked the car and they all piled out, taking a moment to look up at the brightly lit house before walking up to the front door. Miley hesitated a moment before knocking on the door, Traci lightly squeezing her shoulder in comfort.

A dark brown haired girl opened the door and Miley held her breath as she waited to see how she would react. "Hi, you guys here for someone?"

Letting out the breath she was holding in relief, she nodded. "Is Nick here?"

"Yeah hold on. Nick! Door!" she yelled from the door, flashing them a smile before walking back into the house, leaving the group standing on the front porch while it was below zero outside.

"Hey, sorry. Come on in," Nick said as he approached the door. Letting them walk past him, he closed the front door before giving Miley a hug. "Sorry about that, Selena isn't always that rude. She's in the middle of a game and she hates losing."

A chorus of 'it's okay' came from the group as Nick lead them towards a room off to the side. "You guys can put your things in here and I'll show ya'll around."

They did as they were told, following Nick around as he showed them around, introducing them to people that they couldn't exactly remember the names of. Towards the end of the tour, her friends had branched out and left Miley alone with just Nick which she didn't mind until they ran into Nick's brothers.

"Hey guys," Nick called out, catching their attention. Miley's nerves started to go into overdrive as Nick guided her into the room. "Guys, this is Destiny."

"Hi," Miley said timidly, her voice barely audible.

Nick leaned into her which his brothers eyed him curiously for. "Relax, they're not going to bite you." he whispered into her ear, earning a slight nod of her head. He kissed her temple before turning his attention back to his brothers.

"Destiny, this is my older brother Kevin and his wife is sitting over there."

Her eyes went to where he was pointing and saw a brunette sitting at the table before she turned back to Kevin. "Nice to meet you," she said, offering her hand out for a handshake.

Kevin smiled at her, taking her offered hand. "Nice to meet you too."

"That's Frankie, he's the youngest. His girlfriend should be around here somewhere."

"Hi," Frankie said with a wide smile.

"Hey," Miley greeted back.

"And lastly, this is Joe." Nick said, pointing to a guy sitting on the kitchen counter. "Where's the girl of the week Joe?"

Joe shrugged, jumping off the counter. "Couldn't find one this week." Joe replied, slightly joking and slightly serious at the same time. He walked over to Miley, stopping right in front of her. "I'm Joe, the cute brother."

Miley giggled, shaking his hand. "Hi."

He let go of her hand, looking at her curiously. "Have we met before? You look familiar."

"Umm…" Miley panicked. "I don't think so."

"Hmm…" He stood there for awhile, trying to think. "I could have sworn I've seen you some where before."

"Nope," she squeaked, shifting on her feet uncomfortably. "I'm sure I haven't met you before."

Nick put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him when he sensed that she was uncomfortable. She looked up, a half smile on her face. "Well I think I'm gonna go show her around some more." he said, narrowing his eyes at his older brother.

They turned to walk away, Miley hearing a smack before Joe yelped. "What was that for?"

"Way to make a first impression," Kevin said, making Miley smile as they walked back into the living room where the party was going on.

They spent the night mingling, but mostly spent time together when they could. But she sat on the couch next to Traci and Lily when the guys had decided to have a push up contest to see who could go the longest without stopping. It was quite amusing and she never noticed how big Nick's muscles were until now.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she turned around to see Joe standing behind her. "Can I talk to you?"

Nodding her head, she got off the couch and followed him over to a quiet corner of the room. They were far away that no one could hear them but close enough so that Miley could still see what was going on.

"I wanted to apologize for earlier," Joe said, rubbing the back of his neck. Miley noted that he had the same nervous habit that Nick did.

"It's alright, really." Miley said with a warm smile. "No harm done."

"You just look familiar to me," he said, stuffing his hand into his pockets as he watched the guys. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"Really, you don't have to apologize Joe. Plus it's not the first time that I've been told I remind people of someone," she laughed.

They stood there watching as the last few guys kept going, although you could tell they were tired because they were starting to slow down. "How long do you think it will be before they all collapse?" Miley asked with a smile of amusement.

"It could be awhile," Joe replied with a laugh. "Don't underestimate Nick. He likes to win."

She laughed. "I can see that."

"You know, you're good for him." Joe said, causing Miley to turn her attention back to him.

She shook her head. "I think you're just being nice."

"No, really." he replied. "I've haven't seen him this happy in a long time. Our mom has never met you and Nick hasn't told her that he has a girlfriend, but she likes you already."

Miley blushed at the mention of their mother liking her. "I'm not his girlfriend."

"I'm sure you will be soon," Joe smirked, nudging her playfully. "Do you know that he writes music?"

She nodded, her eyes wandering back to Nick. "He's told me he writes every now and then."

"He use to write every now and then before he stopped," Joe confessed. "But ever since he's met you, he's writing a lot more."

"I'm sure that has nothing to do with me," she replied, trying her hardest not to blush again.

"I'm sure it has everything to do with you," Joe said nonchalantly. "You're special to him and even though you guys aren't technically girlfriend boyfriend yet, he definitely sees you on that level. He doesn't usually like to talk to me about personal stuff because I usually just make fun of him for it, but you're all I ever hear about nowadays."

Miley laughed and blushed at the same time. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You're a step up from having to hear him complain all the time," Joe said with a smile. "Just promise me you won't hurt him. I don't think he could go through another breakup like his last one."

"I know you guys are still just starting out and I'm not suggesting marriage, unless that's the road you guys go down," Joe said, his original message lost in his ramblings now. "Well what I mean is when the time comes and you guys do have to breakup, just be very gentle and be upfront about everything. He doesn't need to be lied to again."

Miley didn't know how to respond to that, so she kept her eyes trained on Nick who was now one of two left. His brother's confession made her feel terrible about the secret she was keeping from him. "I promise," she replied, not looking him in the eyes.

She didn't know if she could follow through with that promise, but she could try. At least she hoped she could. Even though they were really close and things were going great for her and Nick, her secret could blow up in her face. Or she could be lucky and he would be ok with it since he knows the real her, the real Miley.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice Nick come up to her until she felt him wrap his arms around her and pick her up. "Nick, what are you doing? Put me down."

He chuckled, setting her down on her feet. "I won," he exclaimed, looking like a little child who had just been given a lifetime supply of candy.

"Told you he's competitive," Joe said from beside them.

"I can see that," Miley replied with a laugh.

Nick frowned, looking back and forth between her and his brother. "What have you been telling her about me?"

"Nothing," Joe replied in a sing song voice, walking away slowly. "Just that you slept in mom and dad's bed until you were six and use to sleep with a teddy bear."

"Joe!"

Miley laughed, wrapping her arms around him to keep him from running after his brother and possibly murdering him. She rubbed her hands up and down his arms, trying to calm him down. "You know he never told me any of that stuff until you provoked him."

Nick sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "I should have known."

"Well if it makes you feel better, I think it's adorable," Miley said with a laugh.

He groaned. "I need a drink."

She giggled, walking with him into the kitchen to grab a drink before heading out to the backyard to watch the firework show. Everyone was coupled off and sitting in chairs, so Miley opted to walk to the corner of the deck and stand, just so that it wasn't so intimate between her and Nick.

He followed her lead, coming to stand behind her with his hands resting on either side of her. "Thanks for coming tonight," he said, resting his head on her shoulder.

She smiled, glancing at him. "Thank you for inviting me and my friends."

He 'hmm'd' in response, both of them falling into silence when the first boom of the fireworks were heard. Standing up straight, he watched as her head was thrown back and she watched the fireworks light up the dark sky with a smile on her face, the different colors reflected back from her eyes. Feeling her shiver from the coldness, he quickly took off his jacket and threw it around her shoulders, earning a quiet 'thanks'.

The fireworks were coming in bigger explosions, signaling that it was close to midnight. Both Nick and Miley were a little apprehensive to the coming of the new year. Miley didn't know whether or not she should be expecting a kiss and Nick was debating whether or not to kiss her. He was very close to just going back into the house and locking himself into a room.

_10... 9... 8... 7_

The countdown started, making Nick's heart speed up with every second that passed.

6...5...4...3

Miley took a deep breath, feeling Nick's arms tense from around her.

_2... 1_

Turning around in his arms, Miley smiled at him. "Happy new year."

"Happy new year," he responded, dropping his arms from around her to dangle by his sides.

They both didn't know what to do. Miley fidgeted with her hands while Nick glanced around to see everyone kissing their significant others, or in Joe's case, a random girl. When he turned back around, he found Miley staring out at the sky again, her back to him, making him feel even more discouraged. He watched her for a moment, seeing her shoulders rise and fall in what he perceived was a sigh. He was such a coward.

Walking up to the railing to stand beside her, he looked out into the darkness before glancing at her. He slowly inched his hands towards her, not knowing if she was mad at him for not kissing her. Sighing, Miley took hold of his hand and looked at him.

Before she could even blink or think, she leaned into him and placed her lips on his, her hand letting go of his to wrap around his neck while his instinctively came to rest on her hips.

She usually believed that the guy should always make the first move and she never kissed them unless they kissed her first. But there was just something about him.

It just seemed right.

* * *

**Ok so not my best work… it was a little rushed and the writing sucked beyond sucked. But it's something… 20 pages of something so hopefully it was enjoyable.**

**On to other news… don't forget to go to the joint account I have with Tiffany and take part in voting for "The Greatest Niley Challenge". We just got done with the practice round and are officially starting the challenge now so we need you guys to go read and vote now more than ever! Plus… there may be a surprise in store for that account… *cough* a collab or something *couch* but more about that later… when we finalize some stuff.**

**Secondly… I have been nominated for the NJK Awards for best oneshot, best short, and best work in progress for this story. I would totally love you guys if you would go over to that page and vote when the time comes. I'm up against some awesome writers so vote for who you think should win! I will put the link on my profile page soon.**


	7. Chapter 6

**So it's not exactly summer yet… I still have 3 weeks. But I always find myself procrastinating the most around finals time… so that's where this chapter originated from - my procrastination. But that's good for you guys because you got a chapter early! Too bad my finals aren't about writing your own story… I would totally past that kind of test! Hmm… maybe I should just switch my major from pre-pharmacy to writing… I could become a writer right? (haha… wishful thinking)**

* * *

For the first time since her mother's death, Miley was actually happy with the way her life was going. She didn't mind the cold weather or the constant New York traffic she always seemed to be stuck in when she was in a hurry. She didn't even mind that she had to go to work everyday and do something she despised. She was even able to enjoy the rare father-daughter lunches she had when her father was actually home.

Miley was genuinely happy for the first time in a long time.

She hated to think that her happiness was tied to a guy, but she had to admit that Nick was a very big reason for her newfound happiness. Two weeks after their first kiss, he had finally worked up enough courage to ask her to be his girlfriend in the nervous, yet adorable way he usually gets around her that makes her smile every time. For Valentine's Day, they had opted to be low key and spend the holiday at home. Nick had tried to be romantic and cook dinner for her, but in the end they ordered pizza and laughed over his failed attempt at the culinary arts. They decided then and there that he should just stick to writing songs that she had still yet to hear. The night ended with them cuddled up on his couch, asleep in each other's arms while a movie played in the background.

"Mi-ley!" an impatient Abbie whined while tugging at Miley's hand to get her attention. "Were you even listening to me?"

"I'm sorry sweetie," Miley apologized while she tried to recollect herself. She must have been too wrapped up in her thoughts to realize the little girl was talking to her. "I didn't hear what you were saying."

The little girl huffed in mock frustration, placing her hands on her hips. "I was saying…" she dragged out to add emphasis, "that Nick is pulling into the driveway."

Abbie let out an excited squeal before peeking back out of the window. Miley smiled at the little girl, shaking her head. Over the last couple of weeks, Abbie had taken a big liking to Nick, maybe ever more so than she liked Miley.

Getting up from the couch she was sitting on, Miley walked over to her goddaughter and placed her hands on Abbie's shoulders to turn her around. She knelt down to look the little girl in the eyes with a serious look on her face. "Abbie, do you remember what we've been practicing?"

The little girl nodded her head. "I cannot call you Miley around Nick."

"Very good," Miley smiled, placing a kiss on her forehead. "What can you call me?"

"Destiny," the little girl answered promptly with a wide smile on her face, proud of herself.

"I knew you would remember," Miley said, ruffling the little girl's hair.

They both looked up towards the door when they heard knocking to see Mia standing there with Nick beside her. Abbie broke out into a smile before running at full speed to launch herself into Nick's arms. "Hello Miss Abbie," he laughed, picking her up in his arms effortlessly. "You are looking lovely today."

Abbie giggled, making Miley smile as she stood up and walked towards them. "I think I'm jealous."

"You look lovely too," Nick said, making Abbie giggle. Setting the little girl down, he gave his girlfriend a quick kiss as a proper hello. "Are my two favorite ladies ready to go?"

Abbie nodded her head enthusiastically, getting ready to bolt to the front door before getting pulled back by her mother. "Remember to be on your best behavior and do not go anywhere by yourself."

"Yes mom," the little girl answered promptly, rolling her eyes just a little bit. Yes, she was six. But she was a smart six year old. She knew not to run off or talk to strangers or cross the street without an adult.

"Thank you guys again for agreeing to look after her for me and Stephen," Mia said.

"It's not a problem," Nick said with a smile as they all headed towards the front door, stopping briefly so that Abbie could put her jacket on.

"Bye mom," the little girl called over her shoulder as she raced Nick to his car, reaching the black SUV first.

Miley and Mia laughed from the front door, watching as the little girl taunted Nick with her win. "Have fun on your anniversary, stay out as late as you and Stephen want." Miley smiled, giving Mia a hug. "She can always stay the night with me if you and Stephen would like to be alone…" she trailed off, wiggling her eyes suggestively.

Mia rolled her eyes and swatted Miley on the arm playfully. "Go or there will be a very furious six year old to handle for the rest of the day."

-xox-

"Can we go see the sharks first?" Abbie asked as she bounced with excitement, walking a couple steps ahead of Nick and Miley. "Oh wait! The jellyfishes!"

"We can go see anything you want sweetie," Miley chuckled as she walked hand in hand with Nick towards the entrance of the aquarium. She didn't want to admit it, but she was a little excited to be going to the aquarium too. If it wasn't for the idea that Nick would think she was weird she would probably be bouncing with excitement right along with Abbie. She didn't get to do this when she was younger and so she felt like she was a little girl again.

"Thanks for agreeing to come and help me with her," she said as she walked through the doors Nick was currently holding open for her and Abbie. "I know you probably have better things to do."

"Anything beats spending time with Joe," be joked, looking down when he felt a light tugging on his hand.

"This way," Abbie said, pulling him towards the right and through what looked like the mouth of a shark.

He quickly grabbed Miley's hand to pull her along with him as they walked into the shark exhibit. It was a glass-paneled tunnel and the sea creatures were swimming above them, to the right and left of them, and even under their feet. Abbie let go of his hand and looked around her as she marveled at the different fishes swimming all around her.

Laughing at the little girl's enthusiasm, he turned his attention back to his girlfriend, finding her staring all around her with a similar expression to the six year old girl. "Don't tell me you've never been to the aquarium either." She shook her head, making his eyes widen. "What did you do as a child?"

Tearing her eyes away from the colorful fishes around her, she looked at him and shrugged. "My parents were pretty busy when I was little."

"I pity you," he said with a smile, making her elbow him in the side.

Pretending to be mad at him, she walked over to where Abbie was standing, who immediately started pointing out all her favorites. "That one looks like Dory from Nemo and I like the red one right there. Oh look at that one! I think that's the bigge-"

Miley let out a semi loud squeak when she felt arms wrap around her from behind. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad," he apologized, while placing his chin on her shoulder so he could look at her.

She didn't look back at him, and she didn't say anything to him. She just continued staring at the fishes, trying her hardest to not start laughing. But the moment she saw him pouting out of the corner of her eyes, she couldn't help the giggles that slipped through. "You are so gullible," she gasped through her laughter. "I can't believe you thought I would get made over something like that."

Nick dropped his hands to his side, a serious look on his face. "You know, you're not funny."

Seeing how he wasn't laughing with her, she stopped. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Who's the gullible one now," he smirked, making her slap him lightly on the arm before breaking out into a smile. Placing his arm around her, he pulled her into his side before placing a kiss on her forehead. "So what do you wanna see today?" he asked as they followed Abbie to the next exhibit.

"Hmm… the penguins," she answered. "I think they are so cute!"

He chuckled. "Alright, the penguins it is.

They made their way through the numerous exhibits at the aquarium, spending the longest time watching the penguins. It was quite amusing for Nick. He even got her to touch a baby shark and then immediately had to try to calm her down while she flipped out about how weird it felt. Abbie on the other hand had no problems touching all the sea critters they had in the tank which made Miley feel a little embarrassed. So instead, she focused on taking pictures of the little girl, snapping a picture of every little thing she could.

-xox-

"And the sea cucumber felt so icky," Abbie rambled as Nick opened the door to his apartment to let the girls in. She had been recounting everything they had done at the aquarium the minute they climbed into the car, going over all her favorite moments in full detail.

Miley only half-listened at this point, interjecting some "mmhmms" and a couple of "uh huhs" all at the right places. Walking over to the table, she set the bags of McDonald's and the envelope of pictures she had taken today down while Nick helped Abbie take her jacket off. "Okay chatterbox, it's time for you to eat something."

It was only around four in the afternoon at this point, but Abbie had worn Miley out. So she let Nick entertain the little energy ball while she sat and looked through all the pictures she had taken today. They were of mostly Abbie by herself and a couple of her and Nick which were adorable, but her favorite had to be the one with all three of them. She had been in the middle of taking a picture of Abbie and Nick when a bystander had offered to take a picture of their "family" which had made Miley blush while Nick just wrapped an arm around her and smiled.

Looking up from the stack of pictures in her hand, Miley turned her attention to Abbie just in time to see her let out a big yawn. "I think someone needs a nap." The little girl shook her head, not wanting to take a nap but her droopy eyes said otherwise.

"I'll put her down," Nick offered, standing up.

He picked Abbie up, much to her dismay, and took her into his room while Miley cleaned up the table. Finishing before Nick returned, she decided to see what was on TV. Walking over to the couch, she remembered the picture and decided to place it on his entertainment center. Just as a little reminder of their trip today. Smiling to herself, she walked over to the couch and sat down, turning on the TV and making sure the volume was low before getting comfortable.

Hearing Nick's room door close, she looked up towards the hallway just as Nick was walking into the living room. "I've never seen such a talkative child even when they are half asleep," he joked, sitting down next to her and placing his feet up on the coffee table.

"She probably gets it from me," Miley laughed, leaning against him as he placed an arm around her.

"What are you watching?" he asked, tracing circles along her arms.

She shrugged, snuggling deeper into his arms. "I just kinda turned on the TV."

Neither of them made a move to change the channel, instead they stared blankly at the screen, enjoying just sitting on the couch together. "Today was fun."

She felt him nod against the top of her head. "It was. Was the aquarium everything you thought it would be?"

She could almost feel the smile that was ghosting across his lips, his question being a cover of him making fun of her for never going to the aquarium until now. "Even better."

"That's good," he said as he played absentmindedly with the bracelet on her right wrist. It was a white gold bracelet with a letter "D" pendent he had given to her as a Valentine's Day present. She hummed in agreement her eyes closed.

"What are you doing next Thursday?" he asked, making her open her eyes and look up at him.

"I have a gala to go to for work. Why?" she questioned. But she already knew the answer. Thursdays were the days he had family dinner, which only meant that he wanted her to meet his parents and she wasn't sure if she was ready for that yet.

"What about the Thursday after next?" he tried again.

She thought for a moment, mentally going through her appointment book. "I can't the Thursday after either," she answered, not giving him a reason. That was the day the research center at the children's hospital was opening and she had to be there.

"Never mind then," he simply said, not telling her the reason for his questions. "Maybe another time."

"What?" she asked again, hoping he would tell her.

"It's nothing really," he answered, shrugging his shoulders. "I just wanted to take you to a family dinner one time. That way you could meet everyone formally. Plus my mom wants to meet you."

"But it's okay, I'll just tell them you can't make it," he said nonchalantly. But she could tell that he was a little disappointed.

"What about the Thursday three weeks from now?" she offered, her chin resting against his chest so she could look at him.

He nodded, placing a kiss on her forehead. "We'll see."

She could still see the disappointment in his eyes, making her feel guilty. But she had duties as Miley Stewart to take care of and she couldn't just come right out and tell him that. So she nodded, turning her attention back to the TV, leaning her head against him while he continued to play with the bracelet on her arm.

-xox-

"I feel kinda guilty Lils."

"I'm sure he understands Mi," Lily said as the two were sitting on the couches in her sitting room, eating ice cream and watching a movie. Something Miley rarely got to do. But she had a night off of work and Nick was busy with his own work, so here she was. "You can't go because of work, it's not like you're just saying no just to not go."

"I guess you're right," she said as she ate another spoonful of ice cream. "He just looked so disappointed. He probably thinks I don't want to meet his family."

"He was probably just disappointed that he has to wait to show you off to his family now," Lily said, trying to make her feel better.

"Yeah, maybe," Miley smiled, placing the now empty ice cream carton down on the table. Not fully into the movie, she dropped her head back and stared at the ceiling instead.

"So when are you going to tell him?" Lily asked after sitting in silence for a good twenty minutes.

"Tell him what?" Miley asked as she looked over at her best friend.

"You know," she started, trying to not make it a big deal. "Who you really are and stuff."

Letting out a big sigh, Miley ran her hands over her face, a habit she had picked up in results to spending so much time with Nick. "I don't know Lilly. I'm waiting for a good time, but there seems to be none," she explained. "I mean, how do you exactly get around to say 'Oh by the way, I've been lying to you about who I really am just so that you would like me.'? I don't know about you, but I don't think I would react very well to that kind of information."

"I know," her friend said cautiously. "But Mi, it's been five months. Don't you think that's long enough?"

"I know, I know," Miley answered, placing her head in her hands. "I definitely know."

"Sometimes there isn't a right moment," Lily advised, placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "But I think you should do it sooner rather than later. It would be best for both you and him."

Her head still in her hands, Miley nodded. "I should have never went through with this plan. I wouldn't be in this situation right now."

"Hey, don't think like that." Lily said, shaking her shoulder lightly to get Miley to look at her. "You just had the best five months of your life. Don't you think all these problems are worth it just for those five months?" Miley shrugged. "I think they are."

"Easy for you to say," Miley mumbled.

Ignoring her remark, Lily went on with her explanation. "I don't think you realize it, but look at where you are now compared to where you were five months ago." Not receiving an answer, Lily continued. "Do you remember the last time you were happy before Nick came along? Or the last time you actually were able to talk to your dad like a real father and daughter should?" Miley shook her head. "Exactly! Nick was a good experience for you."

Seeing the turmoil her friend was in through her eyes, Lily let out a sigh. "Look, I'm not saying you have to tell him right this second. I'm saying to just think about it. It's not good for you to keep lying to him and obviously it's starting to bother you too."

Miley nodded. "I know."

-xox-

For the next week, all thoughts of Miley's problem with Nick was pushed to the back burner as she focused on the gala she had planned for the company. She had only seen him once since the day of the aquarium and was often too busy to even call him. Usually she would have been worried that he thought she was avoiding him, but he was busy with his company so he didn't have time for her either. Even with their busy schedules, they made an effort to at least text each other once a day which was all they had time for.

On the night of the gala, she had texted him multiple times to tell him she was sorry that she couldn't go to his family dinner. Which he replied with a simple 'it's okay. Another time', making her feel even more guilty. But she promised that she would make a better effort to make more time for him once the gala was over. Much to her dismay, the workload didn't lessen any even with the event over and done with and her and Nick were back to the occasional phone calls.

She was back to being stressed beyond belief.

"Hey Mi," she heard Mia say, looking up at her office door. "Your dad wanted to see you real quick."

"Okay, I'll be right there." she answered, typing up the last few sentences of an email before pressing send. Sitting back and taking a deep breath for just a second, she got up and headed down the hallway to her father's office.

Knocking on his door, she popped her head in, "Hey dad." He waved her in, ending his phone call as she took a seat.

"How are you?" Robby Ray asked her.

"I'm good," she answered.

"Good… good," Robby Ray said as he signed some paperwork.

Getting frustrated that he was taking up time where she could be working, she cleared her throat. "Mia said you wanted to see me."

"Right," he said as if he just remembered. "I have a lunch meeting with a new perspective client in two days, but I have to take an emergency trip to the office in China and"

"And you want me to go meet with the client for you," Miley finished for him. "Sure dad, I can do that."

"Thanks sweetie, I knew I could count on you." She smiled at him, trying to make it seem like she wasn't a little annoyed. "Stacy has Mr. Anderson's folder and will tell you where to meet with him."

"Ok dad," she said, getting up from the chair she was sitting in. "Did you need anything else? I'm kinda busy with the children's hospital event this week."

"Oh no," Robby Ray answered, waving his hand for her to go. "I'm leaving in a little bit but I should be home in time for the hospital event."

Miley nodded, giving her father a hug before leaving, stopping by Stacy's desk to pick up the folder and location of lunch before going back to her own office. Collapsing into a heap into her chair, she pulled out her phone to make a note of the lunch on her calendar.

"Oh no," she said to herself, swiping her thumb across the screen of her blackberry to make sure she was seeing things correctly. Taking another look, she let out a long sigh before deciding to call Nick.

-xox-

Sitting in the conference room, Nick felt his pocket start to vibrate before pulling out his phone. Glancing down quickly, he read the name of the caller: _Destiny_.

He cleared his throat loud enough to catch Joe's attention but quiet enough as to not disrupt his father, he gestured to his big brother that he was going to step outside real quick. Receiving a nod, Nick slipped out of the room as inconspicuously as he could. Reaching the hallway, he closed the door behind him before reaching into his pocket to retrieve his phone.

"Hello," he heard her answer on the other line.

"Hey, sorry I was in a meeting."

"No, I'm sorry." she said, Nick sensing something wrong by the tone of her voice. "I should have waited until your lunch break to call."

"It's ok. Did you need to talk to me about something?"

"Yeah, I did," she sighed, making him nervous.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, trying to get an answer out of her.

He heard her sigh again, "I'm not going to be able to make it to lunch on Wednesday, something came up with work."

Letting out a breath of relief, Nick leaned back onto the wall of the hallway he was currently standing in. "That's okay, we can meet up another time when you aren't as busy."

"I'm really sorry," she apologized. She was feeling guilty for bailing on him and for also using the whole work excuse again. She was almost certain that at this point, he most definitely thought she was just trying to avoid him. "I was hoping to get to see you this week since I didn't see you at all last week."

"Maybe we can see each other this weekend," Nick suggested, hoping to make her feel a little better.

She didn't respond after that, the two of them falling into a silence. Just the sound of him breathing made her more relaxed. "I miss you."

"I miss you too," he replied, hearing voices in the background coming from her side of the conversation. "But I should probably let you get back to work."

"Yeah…" she said halfheartedly.

"I'll call you later okay?"

"Okay," she answered. "Bye."

"Bye," Nick said, hanging up the phone only after he knew she hung up first. So much for getting to see her he thought to himself as he stood in the hallway for a moment, the sadness in her voice still fresh in his mind. Deciding that he should do something to cheer her up, he took a deep breath before walking back into the meeting room.

"Glad you could join us Nick," Joe said as he walked in, making Nick roll his eyes at his big brother.

"I had to take an important phone call," he answered, sitting down in the seat he had vacated. "What did I miss?"

"I was just telling your brothers about a client we have to meet with next week," his father explained.

"And guess who the lucky person who gets to meet with them is," Joe smirked.

Nick groaned. "Why me?"

"That's what you get for going to talk to your girlfriend."

"Joe," their father said sternly, making Joe stop picking on Nick.

"You were picked because dad and I have a convention to be at," Kevin explained, pointing a finger at Joe next, "and we didn't exactly trust that one to make a good impression."

"Hey, 'that one' has a name," Joe huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. "Thank you very much."

Nick laughed. "I get you're point."

"Enough boys," their dad interjected, trying to get the meeting back on track. "We all know that the company has been going though a dry spell, so this client is really important. If we don't sign new clients soon, we may just have to put an end to the family business."

-xox-

"Miley?" Mia interrupted, poking her head through a crack in the door of Miley's office. "Are you ready? The company car is waiting downstairs."

"Almost ready," Miley answered, closing the file she was holding in her hands. She had been trying to get some last minute facts about Mr. Anderson before the meeting. Slipping on her black blazer, she slipped on her heels before picking up her purse and all the folders she needed to bring with her.

Grabbing the pile of folders from Miley's hand, Mia followed behind Miley as they walked towards the elevators. "Mr. Anderson's secretary just called to tell us that a representative from another company will be joining the lunch meeting."

"Oh?" Miley inquired, walking out into the shining sun and to the awaiting car. "I thought it was a private meeting?"

"I guess his schedule changed," Mia suggested, slipping into the car behind Miley. "But you should be fine, you have no trouble persuading clients with your charisma and charm."

"Of course not," she smiled, taking a moment to send Nick a text message before they arrived in front of the restaurant.

Stopping at the front podium, Mia talked to the hostess while Miley couldn't help the smile that spread across her face when she felt her phone vibrate. Smirking at her, Mia couldn't help but remember how it felt when she first met Stephen. "Come on Destiny," Mia joked, placing a hand under her arm to guide her to the table the hostess was showing them too.

They didn't have to wait long before Mr. Anderson arrived. "Hello Miss Stewart," he greeted, giving her a firm handshake.

"Likewise Mr. Anderson," she smiled. "This is my assistant Mia, she will be aiding me during the meeting."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Anderson," Mia addressed, offering a handshake to him. He smiled, nodding politely while taking her hand in his.

"If you would take a sea-" Miley trailed off when she saw Mia's eyes widen at something behind her.

She was about to turn around but stopped short and her own eyes to widen when she heard the representative of the other company walk up. "I'm so sorry I'm late Mr. Anderson."

"It's quite alright Mr. Jonas," Mr. Anderson said as he went to shake his hand while Miley stayed frozen to her spot. "I was the one who sprung this meeting on you."

_What do I do? _Miley mouthed to Mia who just shrugged her shoulders with a sympathetic look on her face. _I don't know_.

Mr. Anderson excused himself to answer a phone call, giving Nick time to finally see who his competition was. "Mia?"

"Oh hey Nick," Mia said, giving him a hug. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

"I didn't exactly expect you to be here either," he said, glancing over at Miley.

"Oh um… this is Miley Stewart," Mia introduced, making Miley turn around slowly after taking a deep breath. "Miss Stewart this is a friend, Nick Jonas."

"Mr. Jonas," Miley said, fully business-like, avoiding all eye contact. He held his hand out for a handshake, Miley hesitating before placing her hand in his.

"It's nice to finally put a face to your name Miss Stewart," he said, holding on to her hand for a moment. He couldn't quite place it, but there was something about her that seemed almost familiar. Still avoiding looking into his eyes, Miley politely yanked her hand out of his before taking her seat at the table and becoming suddenly engrossed in her phone.

"She's nice," Nick mumbled to Mia, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"Don't mind her, she's been stressed out about work." Nick only nodded, taking his own seat when he saw Mr. Anderson heading back to their table.

After an hour of business and a very awkward lunch, Miley was ready to run out of the restaurant. She had tried her hardest to never look Nick in the eyes and so far he seemed to be clueless as to who she really was, or who Destiny really was. At least she hoped he was still clueless.

"Well Miss Stewart, Mr. Jonas, I will be contacting your companies in the following days with my decision," Mr. Anderson said as they all stood up to say their goodbyes. "Mr. Jonas," he said, shaking his hand.

"Miss Stewart, it was very nice to meet you," Mr. Anderson said, also offering her a handshake.

Nick stood off to the side, watching as they said goodbye. A flash of silver caught his attention, his eyes focusing on the strand of silver that was peeking out from Miley Stewart's jacket.

"I will be in touch," Mr. Anderson said as he headed towards the door, leaving the two representatives at the table.

"Mia, make sure the driver is waiting in the front," Miley instructed as she turned to gather up her things, trying to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Yes Miss Stewart," Mia answered, turning to say goodbye to Nick and pulling out her phone simultaneously.

"Pleasure doing business with you Mr. Jonas," Miley said formally after she made sure she had all her things. Not bothering to shake his hand, she started for the door, following behind Mia.

She stopped short when she felt a hand enclose around her wrist, preventing her from going any further. Her breathing stopped and she stood very still. It was suddenly eerily quiet, even with all the restaurant-goers around them.

Feeling her arm being pulled up, she peeked from the corner of her eye to watch him. He was staring at her bracelet, the same bracelet he had given to her for Valentine's Day. She didn't dare say anything, instead she waited for his outburst.

"Miley?" she heard Mia call her as she walked back into the restaurant. "We have to go, you have a meeti-" she trailed off when she saw what was happening.

Looking up at Mia, she took a deep breath before turning around to face her fate. She looked up at him, but his eyes were trained onto her bracelet. Making a move to say something, he shook his head, his hands moving over the bracelet before he let go of her arm. She was about to tell him the truth, but he didn't want to hear it and gestured for her to go, never saying a word to her.

Miley saw the hurt in his eyes, making her heart break. She tried again to give him an explanation but this time he shook his head at her. Understanding that he didn't want to make a big scene in public, she nodded sadly and turned to walk out, trying her hardest not to break out into tears.

Mia placed an arm around her when she got to the door, glancing back to look at Nick, silently telling him that they were sorry. "Paparazzi are waiting outside," she whispered softly to Miley, seeing the tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Nodding her head, she wiped at the tears and placed her sunglasses on to block out the world.

Nick watched her walk out the doors before following behind her, stopping just outside the door when he saw the crowd outside. He watched as she hastily walked through them, quickly climbing into the awaiting car. She looked back behind her shoulder and for even though she had those sunglasses on, he knew she was looking at him. He shook his head again, turning to walk down the sidewalk, away from her car.

She watched his retreating form, being pulled gently into the car by Mia. Getting into the car, she tried to grasp what had actually happened. Running her fingertips at the place his hands were just at, all she felt was her bare skin, making her tears fall freely down her cheeks while Mia just held her.

* * *

**Dun dun dun… what a way to find out your girlfriend is not who you think she is… poor Nick. I know he seemed to have reacted rather calmly, but they were in a restaurant full of people… I don't think he would have wanted all of them to know his business. So have no fear, the climatic chapter will be coming shortly. (or really after finals this time…)**

**So do you think he'll forgive her? Or he'll break it off? Or blow up at her?**

**Oh yeah… I have a new story idea floating around… I haven't started working on it yet so I don't know when that will be out or if it will be out. I'm gonna try to write a few chapters and send it out to a practice audience and see how well they react to it before deciding whether or not to post it on here.**

**Well… I think that's it. Reviews make me happy… which in turn makes me write… or in this case study for finals. Lol**

**Oh! One more thing… I'm actually going to a Jonas Brothers concert on Aug. 15th, Joe's birthday in New Orleans. ( I know right… who would have thought?) Anybody else going?**


	8. Chapter 7 kinda

**I'm so sorry guys… I know I said I would be updating a lot more once finals were over and well… finals were over about a month ago. But I got lazy and bummed around for awhile and then I got too focused on just reading instead of writing. I swear this time around… I'm gonna try harder to update a lot more than once every couple of months. **

**This is all I had written in the past 2 months… so I thought I would go ahead and let you guys read it. Hopefully it will hold you over until I get the real update up.**

**Sorry again guys… I suck at this I know.

* * *

**

Nick took one last glance over his shoulder at her, their eyes meeting through the sea of cameramen. He saw the tears shining in her eyes and clenched his hands into fists to keep himself from running back to her. Instead he shook his head, turned his back to her and started walking. He didn't know where he was headed, but twenty minutes later he found himself walking by the bench that he had meant Destiny who is now _Miley Stewart_.

Sitting down onto the bench, he placed his elbows on his knees, dropping his head into his hands. Everything she had ever told him was all fake. The only thing he couldn't comprehend was why she had done it. It couldn't be because of his family name because her family name was twice as more successful.

Letting out a long and frustrated sigh, he pulled out his cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Joe?" Nick sighed.

"Yeah, what's wrong? You sound like you've been ran over by a car or two." Joe joked, trying to lighten the tension a bit.

"Something like that," Nick replied, ignoring Joe's weak jibe. "Are you free right now?"

"Yeah," Joe answered, hearing the defeated tone in his little brother's voice. "What's up?"

"Can you meet me at my place?"

"I'll be there in twenty," Joe answered.

Nick thanked his brother before hanging up the phone. He sat on the bench for another couple of minutes, trying to clear his head before walking back to his apartment.

-xox-

"He hates me," Miley cried into the pillow she was currently trying to suffocate herself with. She had been curled up into a ball, crying under the covers of her bed since she had arrived home from the disastrous lunch meeting. A good part of the evening was spent rehashing what had happened to Traci and Lily, who sat patiently listening while Miley tried to fight back the tears, but failed miserably to do so.

"Sweetie, I'm sure he doesn't hate you," Lily said. She had spent nearly an four hours trying to get Miley to calm down and stop crying, but clearly her efforts were fruitless.

"Lily's right," Traci piped-in as she soothingly ran a hand through Miley's hair. "He is most lily just confused and hurt right now."

Lily nodded in agreement. "You guys just need to sit down and talk. I'm sure he will realize you had good intentions when you explain why you did what you did."

"He doesn't want to talk to me," Miley said in gasps while she tried to get herself to breathe correctly. "I lied to him. The first thing his brother asked me to do was not to lie to him, and I did. I lied to his family and I lied to him."

"Give him some time," Lily soothed, running a hand through her friend's hair to help calm her. "Wait until you both have calmed down a bit and I'm sure you guys will be able to talk then."

* * *

**Okay… I know my promises don't really mean anything… but I'm gonna TRY to write more nowadays since I'm out of school and not working anymore. But to give you some good news… I have been writing a new story. That's also a reason I haven't written anything for this story. I have 5 and a half chapters written for the new story and they are all with my beta right now… so as soon as I get a couple more chapters written for that story I will post that up also. **

**But let's have a discussion… what are you guys thinking about all the niley news these days? And have you guys heard the duet? It's been very good in the niley world this past week… hopefully the rest of the year will be this good! **

**Alright… leave a review. Curse me out and tell me to update sooner instead of slacking off, tell me what you think about all this nick and miley stuff… or just drop me a few lines telling me how your day is going!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Well look at this… an update! A full one at that… and I only made you wait a couple days instead of a couple of months. I guess not having my laptop made me finally sit down and handwrite you guys an update, which is good for you guys. Not so good for me… But at least I'm writing again.**

**So here you go… enjoy!**

* * *

For the following week Miley drowned herself into the company and her work. As much as she wanted to lock herself in her room and lay in bed all day, time was still passing her by. There were still clients to tend to and events to plan, so she planned her day so that she had no time to sit and dwell. Therefore, her day was filled with meetings or work until she was ready to crawl into bed the minute she got home and fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Hearing a knock on her bedroom door, Miley turned to see Mia standing in the doorway. "Your father and the care are waiting downstairs when you're ready to go."

"Thanks," Miley answered, turning around to check her appearance one last time. Satisfied, she picked up the necklace her mother had given to her.

"Hear, let me help with that." Mia stepped forward, sweeping Miley's hair away from her neck before taking the ends of the necklace into both hands. She watched Miley's reflection in the mirror while she latched the necklace close. "Nervous?"

At the sound of Mia's voice, Miley stopped biting on her lower lip and met Mia's eyes in the mirror. "No, I just have a lot on my mind."

Mia gave her an encouraging smile and squeezed her shoulder. "Everything will work itself out."

Miley smiled half-heartedly, nodding her head before grabbing her clutch. "Okay, I'm ready to go."

-xox-

"Welcome and thank you to everyone who took time out to celebrate the grand opening of the Stewart Research Center," Mr. Grant said, addressing the clapping crowd of investors and hospital patrons. "We would like to take this time publicly thank Mr. Stewart and his daughter Ms. Stewart."

Hearing her name, Miley stopped day dreaming and looked up to see Mr. Grant motioning for her father and her to join him on stage. She was going to decline but her father was already standing and offering her his hand, so with a forced smile she slipped her hand into his and followed him to the stage. She waved shyly to the audience, letting her dad do all the talking while she just smiled for the cameras, not really paying attention to everything that was going on around her. But time came for them to cut the ribbon with the giant scissors, posing at all the right places for pictures before Miley was finally able to return to her table.

"Here," Mia said right when Miley took her seat again, handing her a champagne flute.

"Thank you," Miley said, letting out a breath of relief before taking a big gulp of the cool, bubbly liquid. "You are a life savior Mia."

"I like to think so," Mia laughed, taking a sip of her own drink. "How you holding up?"

"Fine," Miley answered.

Unconvinced by her answer, Mia decided that it wasn't the right place to talk and decided to let it go. "We can leave if you want. I'm sure your father won't mind."

Miley smiled but shook her head. "This is my project. I need to be here tonight."

Mia nodded in understanding.

They let the conversation end and went on to safer topics while they had dinner before Miley had to join Mr. Grant and her father to make the rounds of small talk with the guests. She was onto about the fifteenth group when she felt Mia tap her on her shoulder.

"Can I borrow you for a second?" Mia asked nervously.

Confused, Miley excused herself from the group before walking off to the side with Mia. "What's wrong?"

"I just thought I would warn you beforehand that Nick is here."

"What?" Miley squeaked, her eyes roaming around the room.

Mia nodded her head to reinforce what she had just said. "I just saw him talking to someone with his father and brothers."

"Oh god," Miley groaned. She wasn't ready to see him just yet. "What are they doing here?"

"Apparently their family donates to the hospital every year," Mia informed her.

Miley took another big gulp of her champagne. "I need some air."

"Do you want to leave?"

Miley shook her head, refusing the offer. "I'll be fine. I just need to get some air and clear my head."

Seeing Mia nod, she gave her a quick hug before turning to leave the banquet hall and walked out onto the balcony. Not the only one with the idea to get some air, she smiled politely and walked over to a deserted section before leaning against the railing. She took a deep breath, the cold, crisp air causing a prickling sensation in her lungs. In her haste to get away from the party, she had forgotten her coat and although it wasn't nearly as cold as it use to be, the air was still a bit nippy.

"Des- I uh… mean Miley?"

Hearing her name, she froze in her spot, her back still facing him. She hadn't even been able to escape for a full five minutes.

"Miley?"

Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned around to face him. "Nick?"

"I… um," he stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand. He was staring down at his shoes, unable to make eye contact with her. "Congratulations with the research center."

"Thanks."

He shuffled his feet, unsure of why he had come out here to find her in the first place. "How are you?"

"I've been… good," she answered him. "I've been busy with work."

She was surprised her voice was actually cooperating with her and that she hadn't broken down into tears yet. She had been worried that her emotions would betray her.

"Yeah."

Miley wrapped her arms around herself, half for warmth and half for comfort. "How uh… have you been?"

He shrugged, no longer staring at his feet but still not looking at her. "I've been fine… busy also."

"That's good to hear," Miley said quietly.

A thick blanket of tension and awkwardness had formed and enveloped the both of them. They endured another few minutes of awkward silence before Miley couldn't take it anymore and had to break it.

"Nick, look… I'm sorry," she apologized, knowing that it still wasn't and would never be enough. "I know what I did was wrong, but I-"

"Nick?"

Miley stopped, her explanation being cut short. She let out a frustrated sigh while Nick turned towards the voice.

"Yeah Joe?"

"Um, sorry to interrupt but dad's ready to go. He sent me to come find you so we could leave," Joe explained, his eyes darting between Nick and Miley.

"Alright, I just need a minute." The two brothers stared at each other, obviously having some sort of silent conversation because Joe suddenly nodded and turned to walk back inside, leaving Nick and Miley to themselves.

Nick ran a hand through his hair before turning back around. "I have to go."

"No, it's okay," Miley said quickly, not wanting to be even more embarrassed than she already was at the moment. "I should probably head back in anyways."

"Yeah," Nick responded quietly, but not making a move to leave.

"So uh… I'll see you around," Miley said awkwardly, making a move to side-step him and walk back inside.

"Wait," Nick cried out, making her stop dead in her tracks. "Can we meet up some time and you know… talk about everything?"

"Um yeah… I think that would be good," Miley answered slowly, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

"Okay then," he nodded more to himself than to her. "I'll uh… give you a call some time during the week then."

Miley nodded. "Sounds good."

"Well then… bye," he said abruptly. He headed towards the door, stopping briefly to place a quick and light kiss on her cheek before leaving.

Momentarily stunned, Miley lifted a shaky hand to her cheek, her fingers brushing over the spot his lips had just been. She reveled in the small gesture before the cold temperature got to be too much for her and she headed back inside to find Mia waiting for her by the door.

"Everything okay?" Mia asked, draping a jacket over Miley's shoulders. "I just saw Nick walk by."

"Yeah."

"Have you guys talked?"

Miley shook her head. "He said he'll call."

-xox-

It had been a total of five days since the opening banquet of the research center and Miley was sitting at her desk, her eyes trained to both her cell phone and her office phone. She had been trying her hardest to be as patient as possible for Nick to call, not wanting to be one of those girls that waited by the phone hoping for a call. But it wasn't exactly turning out that way. She was a nervous wreck. At first she had been nervous that he would call too soon and she wasn't ready to talk to him, but now she was nervous that he would never call because he didn't want to talk to her. Either way, she was surely going to drive herself mad waiting for him.

Frustrated with herself and Nick, she laid her head on her arms which were crossed on top of her desk.

"Miles?" she heard Mia ask from her office door.

"Hmm?" She didn't bother picking up her head.

"Someone's here to see you."

Groaning, Miley lifted her head only to prop it up with her hand. She wasn't in the mood to deal with clients right now, she just wanted to be left alone.

"Can we reschedule Mia? I'm not really up for dealing with anyone right now."

Mia looked at the girl behind the desk, her eyes full of sympathy. "I'm sorry Miles but they have to see you today."

"Okay," Miley practically whined before mustering up all the strength she could to get up from her chair. "Can you tell them to wait a moment? I just need a minute."

Miley waited until Mia closed her door before letting out a long-winded sigh. Walking over to her window, she took a moment to collect herself before smoothing out the creases in her clothes and going to welcome the client.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting Mr.," she said politely as she opened the door, stopping short when she looked up to meet chocolate brown eyes. "Nick?"

"Hey… um are you busy? Can we talk? I mean," he paused, clearing his throat nervously, his cheeks turning slightly pink from embarrassment. "Do you have time to talk for a little bit?"

"No, I'm not busy," she answered quickly, not giving him any time to back-out and leave. Opening her office door all the way, she gestured for him to walk inside before turning towards Mia. "Hold all my calls please."

Not waiting for an answer from Mia, she followed Nick into her office before closing the door behind her only to find him standing in front of her window.

"This is a nice view of the city," he said when he heard the sound of the click, letting him know that the door had been closed.

"It's about the only thing that makes this job bearable," she said, trying to ease the tension from the room.

There was a giant elephant present and they were both skirting around it.

"Why do you do it then?"

"Do what?" Miley asked.

"This," he said, waving his hand in the air to indicate that he meant her work. Turning around, he leaned against the window to face her. "If you don't like this job as much as you say you don't than why don't you just quit?"

"I can't do that," Miley whispered, sucking in her bottom lip to bit on.

"Why not?"

"This is my life Nick," she said, her hand sweeping across the room much like he had just done. "As much as I might not enjoy this, I was born with this life. This was always my future."

"Your future is what you want it to be."

Miley shook her head at him, taking off her jacket before sitting down behind her desk. "Easier said than done," she replied.

"You have all the resources in the world to be what you truly want to be," he advised her.

"Well what about you?" she challenged. "I remember you telling me you didn't enjoy your job either."

"I don't have all the opportunities that you do," he answered her honestly.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Did you really come onto enemy territory to tell me to follow my dreams? Or is it really a way to throw my family status in my face?" she asked incredulously, her patience running out. "Because if you did than you are as much of a hypocrite as I am and I don't need this lecture right now."

They both retreated back into their own little worlds after her little outburst. Nick scared to offend her even more and Miley still fuming.

"So why did you do it?" he asked her quietly.

"Do what?" she sighed. Her eyes were closed and her fingers were massaging her aching temples. She was tired and did not want to play the avoidance game.

"Destiny."

Oh. Miley opened her eyes then. But she didn't look up at him because she knew that if she did she would probably end up crying.

"Destiny was the name my mom use to call me," she said meekly, knowing that that did not answer anything he wanted to know. Getting up from her chair, she started pacing back-and-forth to try to get rid of her nerves. She always knew that she had to talk to him about everything, but now that the time came she was getting really close to running away and hiding away from him. But looking up at him, she saw all the hurt and questions in his eyes and she knew she needed to tell him the truth. So she took a deep breath and jumped head first.

"I know I can never say this enough but I really am sorry Nick," she said, seeing him acknowledge her apology with a slight nod. "I didn't mean to lie to you. It's just… I have never met anyone who didn't automatically know who I was just by looking at me. I've just had too many people be nice to me because of what my name attached to theirs might bring them, so you were like a breath of fresh air."

She took a moment to catch her breath, stopping her pacing to lean against one of her filing cabinets. "At first I only gave you that name to see if your act of not knowing who I really was would end. But then when we were sitting in your apartment and you told me what you really thought of Miley Stewart, I knew-"

"I'm sorry," Nick blurted out suddenly, interrupting Miley. "I didn't mean to bad-mouth you like that."

"It's okay. I don't think you bad-mouthing me is as bad as what I did," Miley said, cracking a small smile which quickly faded when she saw that he was frowning. Still too soon. "Well after that I knew you weren't just acting like you didn't really know who I was so I took advantage of that. I took advantage of you." Miley admitted sadly, her eyes pleading for him to understand how truly sorry she was. "You not knowing about this part of my life gave me a chance to be normal for once. I was able to finally let somebody get to know me as me and not me as Miley Stewart that the public knows."

"I see," he said simply when she had stop talking for a minute.

"Look I know that I should have told you all of this a long time ago, but I was scared that you would hate me. That plan obviously backfired on me," she said, watching him stare at his shoes. "I know it was selfish and very wrong of me and trust me I will never be sorry enough, but I had the very best of intentions. Even if it doesn't seem like I did. Believe me I wanted to tell you so many time, but the hole I dug myself into just kept getting deeper and deeper as I fell more and more in love with you."

"I do you know," she said softly, looking up at him expectantly. "I think that's what made it so hard to tell you the truth. I didn't want to lose you. But I want you to know that I still love you and I hope you can forgive me."

Miley stood leaning against the filing cabinet, waiting for Nick to say something to her… anything at all. Her insides felt like they had spent some time in a blender and the silence was doing nothing but magnify her queasiness. Nick on the other hand, was drowning under all the information she had just given him.

What exactly was he suppose to say? What do you say to a person who basically just told you your 'relationship' was based on a lie?

"Can you say something? Anything?" Miley asked desperately, no longer able to take the silence anymore.

"I don't hate you," he finally said. "But I don't think this is going to work out between us. Like you said, the hold just got deeper and deeper and I don't think we will be able to find a way out of it. At least not right now."

"I understand," Miley replied, her voice breaking at the attempt.

She could feel the tears at the back of her eyes and bit her lip to try to keep them from slipping out. He didn't need to see her cry.

"I loved you too, you know."

The tears broke free then, falling freely down her cheeks and onto the carpeted floor at her feet. "I know you did," she said, using the past tense like he did.

He watched her cry with sad eyes. He wanted to go to her side and comfort her, but he knew that if he did then he would never be able to leave her office. Instead, he chose to stage safe.

"I should go."

Miley nodded to let him know she heard him, not trusting herself to use her voice. So she watched him leave behind tears, her vision blurry.

"Be happy," he told her, pausing with his hand on the doorknob. "You might be born with this life but that doesn't mean you can't make it your own."

With that said, he left her to herself. She waited until he left before sliding down against the cabinet to sit on the floor, burying her face in her arms while she cried.

It wasn't long before she felt two arms wrap around her.

"Shh… Miley," Mia coaxed, hugging her shaking body. "It will be okay.

* * *

**I've been listening to "Before the Storm" and "Turn Right" all day… such good songs. But anyways on topic… I've already started the next chapter and I won't be getting my laptop back until sometime at the end of the month so that just means I won't have access to the internet all day everyday so all I have left to do is write… so look out for more updates!**

**Leave me something to look forward to the next time I'm on the internet and I might just reward ya'll with another update! **

**Hugs and kisses! *muah***

**p.s. "It's never the end, just a new chapter" - Nick Jonas**


	10. Chapter 9

* * *

It was only a little past seven o'clock on a Friday night and Miley was already dressed in a very comfortable pair of flannel pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail and she wore a pair of designer glasses as she kept herself busy with reading over a client's folder, all the while snuggled under her warm covers.

"Miley, I know you are still hurting but it's already been about a month," Traci sighed as she leaned against the frame of Miley's bedroom door.

"Hello Traci," Miley greeted without looking up from the papers in her hand. "How are you tonight?"

"Don't you think you could come out with me and my friends tonight? Have a little fun?" Traci asked, trying to persuade Miley to finally come out instead of staying cooped up inside her room again. "We are going to see the new Hugh Jackman movie. You know how his accent makes you swoon."

"I've heard the accent in real life and his wife is really nice too. I met them last year at a charity event," Miley smiled sweetly.

"Mi-ley," Traci whined, accentuating the syllables in her name. "Please."

"I'm sorry Traci," Miley apologized, breaking her concentration from the file to look up at her friend. "I'm just not up to it and I'll most likely bring the mood down, I don't want to ruin the night. But thanks for asking."

"Please Miley," she practically begged, looking like a little girl with her bottom lip poking out into a full on pout. "Lily and I really miss you and want to spend some time with you."

"I miss you guys too and I'm sorry I haven't been around lately," Miley apologized sincerely. She had been pulling away from her friends, but she just really wanted to be alone. "What if we have a girls' night one night?"

"Fine," Traci huffed, pushing off the door frame to stand up straight. She pulled the hem of her t-shirt down, giving Miley a pointed look to tell her she was serious. "I'm going to let you slide not going out with me tonight. But you owe me and Lily a girls' night complete with a ton of sappy movies and a mountain of unhealthy candy and ice cream."

"Deal," Miley agreed with a smile before telling Traci to get out of her room and go have fun like a regular twenty-one year old.

She waited until she heard her suite door close before closing her eyes and leaning back against the headboard. You would think that after all the times she has declined their invitations to go out with them, her friends would realize her answer would be the same tonight… or any other night after that. Letting out a sigh while she dug the heels of her palm against her eyes, she picked up the manila folder resting on her lap and returned to her leisurely reading. She was just getting back into work mode when another knock on her door interrupted her concentration. If it was Lily coming to ask her to go out, she was going to rip her hair out.

"Come in."

"Miley!" A very enthusiastic Abbie exclaimed as she ran into her bedroom and jumped onto the bed before throwing both of her tiny arms around Miley. "I've missed you!"

"I'm so sorry Miley," an out of breath and flushed Mia apologized as she followed after her energetic daughter. "Stephen came by to pick me up and Abbie really wanted to come see you."

"It's not a problem Mia," Miley replied with a smile. She was enjoying the warmth and comfort she was receiving from the hug Abbie was giving her. "I've missed you too Miss Abbie."

"You haven't been by to see me," she pouted, reminding Miley of Traci.

Miley smiled, placing a light kiss on the little girl's forehead. "I'm sorry honey, I've been really busy."

The little girl frowned. "Well stop being busy."

"I wish I could Abbie," Miley replied, laughing lightly at the little girl. "But my job needs me. I'll make you a promise though."

At the mention of a promise, Abbie's eyes lit up with excitement. "What kind of promise?"

"I promise to come visit you soon and we can play with your Barbie dolls, and if you are really good I'll take you out for some ice cream."

"Promise?" Abbie asked, bouncing with excitement. Miley envied how carefree and simple the little girl's life was at the moment. She wished she was six again and all her worried could be solved with a promise as simple as playing Barbie and ice cream.

"I promise."

"Will Mr. Nick come visit me with you?" Both Miley and Mia flinched at the mentioning of Nick's name while Abbie was oblivious to what was going on.

Miley looked at the little girl sadly. She knew how much Abbie had loved spending time with him, and now because of her the little girl was going to lose a friend. She felt guilty.

"I don't think Mr. Nick will be around anymore," Miley answered sadly, running one of her hands through the girl's hair.

"Why?"

She could feel the guilt start to settle in the pit of her stomach as she looked down at the girl's big doe-eyes looking back at her. "Well… Mr. Nick and I had a fight," she explained, keeping it as simple as possible.

"Can't you just hug and say sorry?" If only it was that easy.

"No sweetie," Miley answered, shaking her head.

She was envious of Abbie's innocence and lack of knowledge of the workings of the adult world. Life would be a breeze if everyone could settle disputes with just a hug and a simple 'sorry'. There would be no need for lawyers.

"So I'm never going to see Mr. Nick again?" Abbie asked with a frown on her face.

"Maybe not," Miley replied with her own frown.

"Abbie baby, it's late. We need to go home," Mia said, walking over to the bed to collect her daughter. The little girl nodded, giving Miley another hug before climbing off the bed. Mia mouthed a sorry to Miley before leaving with her daughter in tow.

-xox-

"Nick can you please pass the salt?" Nick's father looked up when he didn't get a response to see his youngest son sitting in his seat and playing with his food absentmindedly. "Nicholas?"

"Huh?" Nick snapped out of his reverie when he felt Frankie nudge him in the ribs with his elbow. Looking up, he saw that his whole family were all staring curiously at him. "I'm sorry, did somebody say something?"

"Nick have you been feeling okay?" his mom asked. Her eyes were full of concern for her son.

"Yeah mom, I'm fine," he replied. He forced a small smile to ease her concern, but if anything it only made her worry about him even more.

Mrs. Jonas smiled warmly at him, letting the subject drop which Nick was thankful for. His mother was usually pushy but she tended to take her time and push slowly rather than trying to get the whole answer in one attempt. So they finished dinner with small talk, letting Nick retreat back into his own little world. He waited until dessert was almost over before deciding to excuse himself and head home early, but his father stopped him before he could make his escape.

"Since we're all here," Mr. Jonas started in his business voice, catching everyones attention. "I hate to have to say this... but the company may have to end before the year is up."

"What?" everyone at the table exclaimed in surprise. "Are you sure?"

Mr. Jonas nodded slowly. "The accounting department has been checking over the books for the past month. I'm sorry boys, but we have lost too many accounts to keep the business up and running."

"So we're shutting down?" Kevin asked incredulously.

"We have no other choice right now."

His family broke out into a heated discussion, trying to find some sort of loophole or solution to the problem. But Nick didn't add his own two cents. Instead his mind wondered back to Miley. Her father's company was one of their biggest competition, their biggest reason why the family company was going down the drain at the moment. He sat and listened, waiting until everyone had settled down before excusing himself. Saying his goodbyes and giving his mom and hug, he took a walk through Central Park and pass the infamous bench before returning home to an empty apartment.

-xox-

"Hey Nick," Kevin greeted from his office door, Joe standing beside him. "You busy?"

"No, come on in."

He invited them in, knowing they would whether or not he let them. They had spent the last month preparing for the closing of the company and found themselves having a lot of free time, so his brothers liked to come and bother him when they had nothing better to do.

"Can we talk?" Joe asked, taking a seat on one of the chairs in front of Nick's desk.

"What about?" Nick asked, uninterested. Nothing good ever came out of talking with his brothers.

"We just wanted to come by and have some botherly bonding time," Joe said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. "See how you are doing and stuff like that."

Kevin smacked himself on the forehead while Nick just sighed. He knew exactly what they were trying to do. "Did mom send you?"

"She's just worried about you," Kevin answered. He was leaning against one of the walls of Nick's office, his left foot propped up. "We're all worried about you."

"I'm fine."

"Right," Joe dragged out, looking smug. "Will you mind if I go out to a bar with Miley and her friends tonight?"

"What?" Nick hissed, his eyes practically bugging out of their sockets.

"Well now we know she is still on your mind," Joe smirked while Kevin tried to hide his laughter behind fake coughs. "Comeon man, it's been three months."

"So?" Nick snapped.

"Shouldn't you be passed the whole pissed off stage and moved onto the lets forget about her and party stage?"

"Joe," Kevin groaned, rolling his eyes at his brother. "I don't think patronizing him will help in any way."

"I'm not patronizing him," Joe retorted, trying to defend himself. Nick just shook his head, watching his two older brothers banter back and forth. "I'm just trying to get him to stop being such a girl."

"Can you two just stop?" Nick asked, rubbing circles against his throbbing temples. He was possibly developing a migraine and definitely did not need to hear them arguing with each other. "I just need a little time to forget about her and I will be perfectly fine."

Kevin sighed, pushing off the wall to walk over to his little brother. Placing a hand on Nick's shoulder, he gave it a few pats. "Why are you trying so hard to forget her? Maybe instead of working to forget, you should try and forgive."

"I don't know if I can," Nick confessed.

"Why not?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders, spinning around in his chair to stare out his window. He had a pretty decent view of the city but it definitely did not compare tot he view that Miley had. "She lied to me."

"Listen to me little bro," Joe said in his serious voice. He got up from the chair and walked over to the window, leaning an arm against it. "She was obviously important to you or you wouldn't be feeling like this. You two had a big connection and were that adorably cute couple that no one likes but all secretly envied."

"Well it was all a lie," Nick sighed.

"Lie or not, I think she had good intentions," Joe said, voicing his opinions while Kevin stood back and let Joe work his magic. He had a way with words and was very good at manipulations.

"A lie is a lie," Nick retorted. "When is a lie any good?"

Turning away from the skyline, Joe leaned his back against the window and stared at his exasperated little brother. "What would you do to finally be able to have someone be your friend for you and not of what your name may bring them?" He pushed off the window and signaled for Kevin to leave the office. Pausing by the door, he glanced over his shoulder to look at the back of Nick's head. "You lie," he answered. "Think about it little bro."

-xox-

A dull pounding sensation was forming at the spot where her spine met her the bottom of her skull, making her day even more crappy than it was a minute ago. She needed a nick and long soak in a warm bubble bath or maybe a relaxing massage to work out all of her aches and pains. Either way, she needed something other than work. The smell of the meeting room was making her nauseous and the difficult client sitting in front of her made her frustrated.

"Please lower your voice Mr. Smith," Miley asked politely, massaging her templed to try and numb the pain. If even for a short moment.

"I will not lower my voice until I get the answers that I need," Mr. Smith hollered at the top of his lungs like it would make him receive what he wanted faster. He was reminding her of a petulant, spoiled-rotten child with the way he pounded his fists on the top of the oak wood desk to demand for answers. "I want to speak to the CEO."

"I'm sorry Mr. SMith, but Mr. Stewart is at a meeting across town at the moment," Miley answered with the sweetest voice she could muster up, with just a hint of force behind it. She really didn't need this right now. "I can get my assistant to schedule you a meeting with him."

"Yes, please!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "Maybe they are competent enough to give me the answers that I want."

Miley flinched at his harsh words, but quickly put up her cool demeanor. She had never yelled at a client, no matter how rude they were being and he wasn't going to make her start. "Thank you for meeting with us today. My assistant will be with you shortly.

"Well hopefully they can help me..." he muttered under his breath, a permanent scowl on his face as he kept degrading her. "Good for nothing vice president."

Miley saw red. "Well this 'good for nothing vice president' is terminating your contract with R & S Stewart. We do not need an arrogant, pompous jerk like you associated with us," she yelled, her voice raising in volume. "You are free to leave, and please let the door hit you on the way out... jackass."

With that said, Miley left a stunned Mr. Smith in the meeting room and stomped her way back to her own office, passing a bewildered Mia on the way. Entering her office, she threw her jacket haphazardly onto the floor, collapsing into her chair before laying her head on the cool wood of the desk. All that yelling she had done had not help with the throbbing. Blindly reaching for her top desk drawer, she dug around for the bottle of aspirin before dry swallowing two pills to help with the pain.

"Miley?" Mia asked cautiously, not stepping foot into the office until she saw Miley wave her in. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

"No," she managed to croak out before propping her head up with both of her hands. "I'm sorry. I'm just not having a good day and he just pushed all the wrong buttons."

"It's okay," Mia replied. "He gives everyone he has every worked with a hard time. Turns out four other companies have dropped him, but we lasted longer than the ones before us."

"There's an accomplishment," Miley said sarcastically.

Mia gave her a small smile. "Call me if you need anything okay? I'm gonna go work on his termination letter."

Miley gave her a small nod, the movement magnifying the pounding going on in her head. Groaning, she dropped her head back onto the desk. It was days like these and rich, snobby clients like that that made her resent this job even more than she had already did in the first place. She just didn't find it worth all the effort she put into the company. Miley wanted to be able to work with clients who were happy and friendly, not grumpy old men who thought they were better than everyone else. Her nerves and patience just wasn't up for it. She wanted to enjoy the things she did on a daily basis... to be happy.

"Happy... be happy," she mumbled to herself, Nick's words ringing in her ears.

_You might have been born with this life but that doesn't mean you can't make it your own._

Make it your own.

Coming up with an idea, she sat up to do some research and make a couple of phone calls. This was her life... but that didn't mean she couldn't change it to fit her priorities.

-xox-

"Dad?" Miley called out, knocking on his office door.

As always he was currently on the phone and waved her in, motioning for her to take a seat. She nodded, clutching at the folder in her hands as she walked across the room to one of the leather chairs. She had been working towards this conversation for the past two weeks, making sure everything was going to go as smoothly as possible.

Ending his conversation, Robby Ray placed the phone back on its base before turning his attention to his daughter. "What's on your mind kiddo?"

Miley internally groaned at his choice of nickname for her. "Dad, did you always know you wanted to do this?"

"Uh... well no, not exactly. He was slightly confused as to why she would ask him that question. He had thought she wanted to talk to him about work related topics. "I wanted to become a professional baseball player when I was growing up."

"Well why didn't you?"

"I decided that being a professional baseball player wouldn't have been enough to sufficiently support you and your mother in the way that I would have wanted to, so I followed in the footsteps of your grandfather," he answered, curious to know why she was suddenly so interested in his past.

"Do you ever regret your decision? Or wonder what would have happened if you did become a baseball player?"

He shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "Some days. It would be nice to know how differently life would be." He eyed his daughter for a moment, taking in the way she was fidgeting and biting her bottom lip. "Why are you so curious?"

"I've just been thinking lately," Miley answered, shrugging her own two shoulders.

"About what?"

She took a deep breath. This was her chance to lay everything she had and everything she wanted to have on the table. "Would you be really mad if I told you I want to quit and leave the company?"

He looked at her with wide eyes, surprised by her question. "Mad? Why would I be mad?"

"Well, I don't know." Twisting her hands in her lap, she started down at the carpet. "You were just so excited to get me to join the company and that was all we have ever talked about when I was growing up. I felt like we had the day I would take all of this over planned out ever since I was six."

"Oh, no..." her dad exclaimed, sitting up straight to look her in the eyes. "Any father dreams of the day their child would take-over the family business. But it is and always was your choice to decided whether or not you wanted it. I would be happy if you wanted to run all of this one day," he explained, making Miley think he was about to guilt trip her. "But it would make me even more happy if you chose to do something that made you happy."

Miley smiled, breathing a sigh of relief before launching herself out of the seat and onto the desk to give her dad a hug. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

Robby Ray chuckled, patting his daughter lightly on her back. "So what does the future have in store for you?"

Letting go of him and sitting back on the seat, Miley smiled. "I've decided to go back to school and take some courses on photography."

"That sounds like a fun profession. Are you going to NYC?"

"Actually..." Miley stalled, her smile faltering a bit. "I also decided to move to L.A. I think it would be good for me to meet different people and see different scenery."

"L.A.? As in California?"

"I know it's across the country, but I really want to do this," she said, trying to defend her decision. Although it didn't really matter what her father said because she was going to do it anyways. It would just make it a lot easier to live with if he supported her. "I can always fly back anytime you need me and you do business over there all the time."

"I'm just going to worry about you," Robby Ray said, making Miley's smile return once she processed what he had just said.

"Thank you," she exclaimed, giving her father another hug. "But there's something else I want to do."

"What's that?" he asked, his voice muffled since she was still latched onto him."

"I want to give my forty-nine shares of R & S Stewart to JCo."

-xox-

"Are you sure you really have to go?"

Miley laughed at her pouting friends. They had been asking her that same exact question every five minutes for the past hour and a half. And everytime her answer was still the same. "Yes."

"But what about us?" Lily asked, pointing her finger between herself and Traci.

"I'll only be over there until I'm done with school," Miley reasoned, placing her final belongings into her suitcase. "Plus I'll be home for all the major holidays and you guys are always welcomed to come visit me."

"Beach and boys... count me in," Traci joked.

Miley laughed. "I knew you would see it my way."

"We are really happy for you," Traci confessed, Lily nodding in agreement. "We're just going to really miss having you here."

"I'm gonna miss you guys too," Miley agreed, dropping what she was doing to pull both girls into a group hug. "Traci I'm going to need you to keep an eye on my dad and Lily you have to take care of Oliver for me." Both girls nodded, their eyes starting to glisten with unshed tears. "Stop! I'm going to start crying and miss my flight."

They all sniffled before letting go and resuming packing. "Does Nick know you're leaving?" Lily asked out of the blue.

"Um no," Miley answered, occupying herself with checking over her list. "But I am sure he will find out eventually."

Lily and Traci shared a questioning look at her cryptic answer but shrugged it off. They spent the next twenty minutes helping Miley double-check her bags before helping her carry them downstairs to hand over to the driver. Already having said their goodbyes in her room, they stood off to the side and watched Miley say a tearful goodbye to the rest of the group.

"Thank you so much for everything you have done for me Mia," Miley said as she gave her a hug.

Mia smiled, pulling away from the hug to look her in the eyes. "Take care of yourself."

Miley nodded, kneeling down to get on Abbie's level. "Be a good girl while I'm gone and I'll bring you back a present every time I come home."

Abbie nodded, wrapping her arms around Miley's neck. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too Miss Abbie," Miley smiled, ruffling the girl's hair. She kissed her on top of her head before standing up and facing her father. "I guess this is it."

He nodded sadly. "Are you sure you don't need me to go with you to the airport?"

Miley shook her head, declining his offer as she wiped at her tears. "You have a very important meeting to be at and you better be nice too. I think you will end up liking them if you give them a chance."

Robby Ray sighed, pulling her into a bone crushing hug. "Take care of yourself kiddo."

"I will dad."

"Alright then," he said, breaking the hug and guiding her to the car. "Call me when you get there."

"I will," she replied, waving to her friends and family one last time before the car door was shut. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, ready to embark on her journey.

-xox-

"What do you mean we own a part of Stewart?" Kevin Jonas Jr. asked his father.

All five Jonas men were currently gathered around Kevin Sr.'s desk, confused with the new information they had just been given. Kevin Sr. had just relayed the news that they now held a share of the Stewart company, or at least they could possibly hold a share of the company in the near future. To say that they were surprised was putting it lightly. They were more along the lines of stunned. Or if you were Joe, you were thinking that at any moment Ashton Kutcher was going to come out of hiding yelling 'punk'd'.

"Exactly what I said," Kevin Sr. said, rubbing his tired eyes. "Someone has given us shares of Stewart and we are to meet with Mr. Stewart himself in three hours to discuss what this all means and sign some paperwork."

"But who would do such a thing?" Kevin asked incredulously as they all contemplated their thoughts.

"Miley," Nick answered while four sets of eyes turned towards him.

"Miley Stewart? The heir to R & S Stewart?" Frankie asked, stating the obvious.

"Why would she do that?" their father asked, oblivious to the history Nick had with her.

"Nick? Where are you going?" Joe questioned when he saw Nick head towards the door.

"I have to make a phone call," he shot over his shoulder, breaking out into a sprint to reach his office. Sitting down in his chair, he fished his cell phone out of his top drawer before dialing her number.

"Comeon, comeon, comeon," he chanted as he listened to the phone ring. "Mi-"

_Hey this is Miley Stewart. I can't come to the phone right now so please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible."_

He waited until the end of the greeting before hanging up without leaving a message. An excuse to listen to her voice. Leaning back in his chair, he stared up at his ceiling while spinning around in slow circles. He had so many questions to ask her. Like what she was possibly thinking when she decided to give his family a chunk of her family's company.

"Hey Nick?" his little brother Frankie interrupted, poking his head into his brother's office. "Dad wants to go meet with our lawyers before going over to Stewart for the meeting."

"I'll be right there," Nick sighed.

-xox-

"Wow," Joe whistled when they stepped off the elevator on the fifteenth floor of the Stewart offices. The Jonas men were accompanied by two of their personal lawyers, each of them taking in the sights around them as they followed behind an employee who was showing them to the meeting room. "This place is fancy."

"Joe please don't embarrass us," Kevin warned, rolling his eyes at one of his younger brothers.

"I'm not going to embarrass anyone," Joe retorted, earning a roll of the eyes from all of his brothers that knew him all too well to take his comment seriously.

"Right Joe," Frankie deadpanned. "Just like that one time where you didn't embarrass us by breaking one of Mr. Fueller's rare porcelain vases."

"Hey! That was definitely an accident," Joe cried out in his defense.

"Boys..." Kevin Sr. warned in his fatherly voice.

Nick just shook his head, wondering how on earth he was related to Joe. He walked down the hallway, his eyes darting around the office to try and see if he could catch a glimpse of Miley. But she was nowhere in sight.

"Please take a seat," the guide told them, placing a glass of water in front of each of them. "Mr. Stewart and his team will be in momentarily."

"Nick why are you so fidgety?" Frankie asked, watching as he continuously moved around in his seat.

"I'm just trying to get comfortable," he replied, taking a moment to straighten out his tie and clear his throat nervously.

_"Chill out,"_ Joe mouthed.

_"Sorry,"_ Nick mouthed back, settling down in his chair.

"Good afternoon," Mr. Stewart greeted as he walked into the room. He was followed by five other men, all dressed in dark, clean-cut suits. They took a moment to introduce themselves and exchange handshakes before getting down to business. "Now Mr. Jonas, I'm sure you know why we called this meeting today."

Nick tuned everything out them, instead studying Miley's father. The resemblance was uncanny. She had his smile and his nose, and her hair color was the same as his. But while he had brown eyes, Miley had blue eyes that sometimes looked grey and other times looked green. The eyes she must have gotten from her mother. His mind started to wander then, remembering all the time they had spent together. The way her eyes seemed to change colors depending on what mood she was in or the way they sparkled when she smiled or laughed. He was just remembering the way her hair smelled when he was broken out of his daydream when her name was mentioned.

"For a reason unknown to me, my daughter Miley has decided to pass her forty-nine shares of the company to JCo.," Mr. Stewart informed them, confirming Nick's guess. "Now if you are willing Mr. Jonas, I would like to make this a partnership."

"Partnership?" Kevin Sr. questioned. A partnership seemed like a big deal for two companies who worked against each other to walk in to. "Are you sure about that Mr. Stewart?"

He nodded. "My daughter and I would like to merge our company with one of the oldest investment companies in New York City."

"That's a big decision."

"It is," Robby Ray agreed. "I know our history have not always been pleasant but I think we could learn to put all of that pass us and start fresh. My daughter was adamant about it." He took a moment to retrieve a stack of papers from one of his men and handing it to Kevin Sr. "These are all the papers and contracts. If you would like to accept our offer, we will need your signatures to finalize the merge."

Kevin Sr. thumbed through the stack of papers. "Can we have a minute to discuss this privately?"

"Of course," Robby Ray agreed, motioning for his team to leave the room. "When you decide on an answer just tell my secretary and she will page me."

"What are you thinking dad?" Frankie asked once the door to the meeting room shut close.

"I honestly do not know," he replied, rubbing his eyes. This was a big decision.

"I think we should accept the offer," Joe voiced.

Kevin nodded. "I agree. This could be a way to preserve grandfather's work in a way."

"Nick?" his father called, trying to catch his son's attention. "What do you think?"

"I think we should do whatever you think is best," he said, getting up from his seat. "I need to do something real quick, text me if you need me."

He walked out of the room without waiting for an answer and headed towards the nearest stairwell to go down a floor. Walking across the section of cubicles and down a hallway, Nick paused at the office doorway. Raising his fist, he stop to take a calming breath before knocking on the door.

"Mia?"

"Nick." She was definitely not the person he was expecting to answer the door. "I was wondering how long it would take you before you ventured down here." She smiled, stepping to the side to let him pass. "I take it you're here to find Miley."

"Um yeah..." Nick replied, taking a moment to scan the office. "The room has changed since the last time I was here."

"A lot has changed since the last time you were here," Mia responded, closing the office door behind her. The name on it was no longer Miley Stewart, but was changed to Mia Adams since the last time he was here.

"Is she here somewhere?" Nick asked nervously. "I tried calling her but I kept getting her voicemail."

"No she's not," Mia answered. She walked over to her desk and pulled out a sealed envelope from the top drawer before offering it to Nick. "She made me promise to give you this when you came to look for her."

Frowning in confusion, Nick took the envelop from her. "What is it?"

"I don't know," Mia shrugged, taking a seat behind her desk before pointing for him to take one too. "She said that only you would fully understand what she means."

Slipping his finger under the flap of the envelope, he broke the seal before pulling out the folded piece of paper. His eyes scanned across the words, a smile forming on his face.

_Nick,_

_Take your own advice._

_Be happy._

_Miley_

Nick folded the paper back, stuffing it into his jacket pocket. "Where is she right now Mia?"

"She's no longer in New York, Nick."

And just like that Nick's high was crushed. Before she could fully explain to him where Miley had gone, Nick shot up from his chair. "Where did she go?"

"She left this morning," Mia answered, gauging his reaction. "She had decided to move to Los Angeles and go back to school."

"So she's gone?"

Mia nodded sadly, looking at him with sympathy. "I'm sorry Nick. But she did say something about a package that should have been delivered to your apartment by now. She said it goes along with the note."

"Thanks Mia," he replied.

He left her office, dragging his feet all the way to the elevator, impatiently tapping his foot while he waited for it. Riding down to the lobby, he sent a quick text to Joe telling him that he was heading home before catching a cab back to his apartment. Waiting at his door was a package just like Mia had told him and so he carefully dragged it inside, sitting down on the couch before opening the box. His jaw dropped as he slowly pulled out a shiny, new acoustic guitar. The same one he had told her he wanted to get someday. Taking a moment to strum the strings, he closed his eyes and basked in the beautiful notes before taking the note out of his pocket.

_Be happy._**Well there you have it... another update. I know some of you are disappointed that they are no where near getting back together.... but I don't like it when they break up and then immediately get back together so I like to drag it out. Plus if I ended the story in the way I had origianally planned, they would not have made any changes to their life and these characters were just not happy about that... so a new plotline has been developed. But trust me... it will get there.**

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**I'm keeping it short and simple this time around so leave me your thoughts!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Hello fanfictioners! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews you guys have left me... I loved them. I know I don't ever respond to them and I'm sorry... I'm just not a review responder-er... **

**But anyways... hope you enjoy the update. It takes place two years after the last update so they've all grown up a little. Enjoy!**

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-2 years later-

"Do you really have to go?" Miley had faint memories of going through this same exact routine two years ago.

"Yes Sara," Miley chuckled, shaking her head as she taped up another brown moving box with her clear tape gun. She pushed it aside, moving on to the next box waiting to be taped up against the wall. "I really have to go."

About three weeks ago, Miley had decided that she had done all she could in L.A. and that it was finally time to return to her life in New York. She missed her dad and her friends. So here she was sitting on her living room floor, surrounded by a sea of moving boxes that were ready to be loaded onto a moving van to be shipped back to New York in three days.

Sara pouted, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest while she stood leaning on the door frame, watching Miley work. "But who is going to go boy shopping with me now?"

"Definitely not me," Miley answered, wiping the sweat off of her forehead with her t-shirt. "Plus you still have Emma and Jen to go boy scouting with on the weekends."

"It won't be the same though," Sara whined like a six year old, making Miley laugh at her. She reminded Miley of Traci in so many ways, it was sort of scary. "Mi, you know that you attract most of the guys."

"Me or my name?" she asked jokingly.

Sara ignored her comment, rolling her eyes at Miley. She never gave anyone the benefit of the doubt when they introduced themselves to her. Instead, she always thought the worst and that they had a hidden agenda. Sara had to say though that she had gotten Miley to open herself up a little bit more in the past two years and step out of her comfort zone. Miley had gone as far as casually dating a guy for about six months. It didn't go too far obviously.

"I'm going to miss you," Sara confessed, climbing over a few boxes to pull a sweaty Miley into a hug. "I don't know what I am going to do without you here."

"You are going to party all weekend now that you don't have a party pooper like me enabling you," Miley laughed, the both of them spontaneously bursting out into a fit of giggles like a bunch of little girls. "But I'll miss you too. If you ever come to New York, let me know."

"I'll call as soon as I land," Sara agreed with a teary smile. "I'll make you take me to all the celebrity hot spots."

"Deal," Miley said, sticking out her hand so they could shake on it. She got up off the floor, climbing over boxes to head to her bedroom. "Now help me pack. I'm only here for another three days and I still have half my closet hanging up."

"You can leave it here with me," Sara called out, running down the hall towards Miley's room.

"Not a chance in hell," Miley replied. Opening her closet doors, she ran her hand along the tops of the hangers with a grin. "This is all mine baby."

"Why not?" Sara pouted.

Miley laughed, pulling off the clothes from the hangers to fold them into either boxes or her suitcases. "I'll tell you what, I'll let you pick out two complete outfits and shoes to match."

Sara's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas while she started to rifle through the clothes, not wasting a minute. She had been busy concentrating on choosing the perfect clothing combinations for about ten minutes before asking Miley a question. "Are you going to go see Nick when you go back?"

"Um... I don't know yet," Miley answered with a frown on her face.

She hadn't really given any thought to that option. Sure she had received an e-mail from him about a month after she had moved here, and sure they had kept in touch these past two years through those superficial e-mails asking each other safe questions like 'how are you' and 'anything new happening'. But that's as far as their interactions had gone. Sure she had gone back home to visit a couple of times, but her and Nick had never put any effort into meeting up with each other. It was just easier to talk to each other through letters on a screen than face-to-face.

"Did you at least tell him you were moving back?" Sara asked as he held up a red, silk off the shoulder top to inspect before rejecting it and throwing it to Miley.

"No," Miley replied, zipping up one of her suitcases. "I haven't told anyone but our driver that I was coming back. I wanted to surprise everyone."

"I bet they will definitely be surprised," Sara said. "The prodigal daughter is returning."

"Hey!" Miley exclaimed, grabbing one of her pillows from her bed to throw at Sara. "That doesn't even make sense. The man in that story has two sons and I'm an only child."

-xox-

"Flight 6-2-4 from LAX to LaGuardia now boarding. Flight 6-2-4 from LAX to LaGuardia now boarding."

Both Miley and Sara looked up towards the sound of the announcer before Miley stood up, picking up her carry-on bag and purse from the ground. She turned back to Sara, both of their eyes filled with unshed tears. "That's me."

"Have a good flight," Sara said, pulling Miley into another hug.

Miley nodded, hugging her back. "Thanks for everything these past two years."

"Thank you for being such a good friend these past two years," Sara sniffled, wiping away a tear that had escaped.

"Remember to call if you ever come to town." Sara nodded.

"You always have a place to come to if you come back," Sara said, making Miley promise to come visit when she could before pushing her towards the direction of the gate. "Now get going or you'll miss your flight."

"Alright," Miley smiled tearfully.

Leaving to board her flight, she paused to wave to Sara one last time before walking through the door of the ramp to get to board the plane. Stowing away her carry-on bags in the overhead bin, Miley settled into her seat by the window, taking a moment to silently say goodbye to the city of angels. After spending the last two years figuring out what she wanted her future to be, she was finally going home... for good. Back to her friends and family.

She was returning back to New York a little more wise and a little more successful, but definitely a lot happier which was what she had originally set out to achieve. She finally felt like she knew where she was heading. L.A. had helped her with that in a lot of ways.

Sara had been one of the first person she had met when she moved to Los Angeles. She was a model for a typical Californian blond bombshell with a toned beach body and a perfect natural tan from spending her days in the sun on the beach. Her hair was sun kissed and her legs looked like they would never end. Somehow, they had happened to run into each other, their personalities instantly clicking, making it easy for them to become close friends. Therefore it was only logical for them to move in together, sharing a two bedroom apartment in North Hollywood.

Miley felt like she was blessed to have met Sara. Ever since the beginning of their friendship Sara had been there for Miley through all the good times and through all the bad times. She was there to take Miley out when she finished her first year of school, was jumping alongside Miley when she had been given the opportunity to study under a world renown photographer, and she was there with a bottle of champagne when one of Miley's photos was purchased. But Sara was also there to cheer Miley up when she got a little homesick, was ready with a pep talk when she was ready to quit school and just go back to working at the family company, and Sara was especially there to hold her when a crying Miley was feeling overly emotional about Nick. All in all, Sara had been a very good friend to her.

Destiny Hope Photos. She had achieved what she had left to sought out. A name in the world of photography. It was still relatively new, being only a week since Miley had officially started the name. But it was still what she had been working towards. She had been given a chance to work under the guidance of Henry Green, a well-known photographer and also a family friend. Although at the beginning her name had helped her get her foot in the door, her skills and talents let her go the distance. A few of her pieces had already been featured in magazines and on billboards around L.A. She covered all her bases from photo shoots with supermodels to wedding photos for a friend. She was doing it all and all by herself.

-xox-

Miley had a wide smile on her face as she stepped out onto the busy airport sidewalk, trailing behind her two suitcases behind her. She had her carry-on bag slung over one shoulder and her purse hanging on her other arm as she looked around at the waiting cars, smiling when she saw Charles, her driver, walking towards her.

He took her bags from her, leading her towards the waiting car. "It is good to have you back Ms. Stewart."

Miley smiled, pulling her sunglasses off her head to put on when she spotted a few paparazzi. "It's good to be home."

She watched Charles place her bags into the trunk of the car, hoping to stay unseen. But of course she wasn't that lucky. Flashing a smile and waving politely at the cameras, she slipped into the back seat of the black SUV and closed the door. Leaning her head against the headrest, she predicted that either Traci or Lily was going to see the pictures and be at her house in about twenty minutes depending on traffic. Thirty minutes passed and she felt the car stop, breaking out into a wide grin when she saw the house out the car window.

"Thank you Charles," Miley smiled as she stepped out of the car, pausing for a moment to look up at the house. Her home.

"Welcome home Ms. Stewart," Charles said, giving her a nod of the head before going to retrieve her bags.

"Welcome home indeed," Miley agreed.

"Miley!" Traci and Lily squealed as they ran out the front door and down the stone path to Miley, pulling her into a group hug.

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming to town?"

"How long are you here for?"

"What are you doing back?"

They shot question after question at her, overlapping each other before both breaking out into squeals and throwing their arms around her again. "We missed you!"

"I missed you guys too," Miley laughed, letting her friends lead her back up the pathway and into the house.

They led her all the way to her room, Charles following with Miley's suitcases behind them, before making her sit on the couch so they could talk and catch up.

"You look so good," Lily gushed, making Miley blush.

"Thanks," Miley replied, taking a second to look around her sitting room. Everything was exactly the way she had left it last, except her bed had been made. "Sara started to pull me along to her pilates classes three times a week."

"Not just that," Traci said from her spot on the floor in front of Miley while Lily sat next to her. "You look so much happier, almost glowing even."

"Is it a new guy?" Lily questioned, nudging her arm playfully with her elbow.

"Yes, I am happy but no it's not a guy," Miley replied, rolling her eyes when her friends frowned at her answer. "I do have some really good news though."

"Eeeek!" both Lily and Traci squeaked. They were definitely spending too much time together. "What is it?"

"This just isn't a visit," she started, pausing to see if they would catch onto her good news. She waited, looking at them expectantly but sighing when they just stared at her with questioning eyes. "I'm back for good guys."

"Wait, what?" Lily said.

"For good? As in moving back?" Traci asked, waiting for clarification.

"Yes, for good. As in moving back," Miley replied with a laugh, amused at their reactions. She waited until they finally soaked in what she had just said, covering her ears when they started screaming with excitement, pulling her up so they could jump up and down in celebration. "Okay... okay," Miley laughed, trying to calm them down. "Why don't you guys help me unpack so I can go see my dad."

"Fine..." they both grumbled, sad that she was cutting their celebration short. But it didn't last long before they broke out into another round of squealing and jumping.

Miley shook her head, trying to act annoyed before giving in and joining them. "Oh and keep your schedules clear for tonight."

-xox-

Nick returned to his office at the renamed Stewart & Jonas building with Abbie perched on his shoulders. It was the third Friday of the month and on every third Friday of the month Mia bought Abbie to work with her which gave him a chance to spend time with the little girl. He slowly dropped her onto the floor, sitting down beside Abbie to join her in playing with the dollhouse he kept in his office for her. Something that Joe always made fun of him for.

"Nick!" Joe practically yelled as he burst through the door of Nick's office no more than five minutes later, making all of his belonging shake from the force. He immediately went over to Nick's desk, jumping onto his computer.

"Why hello Joe," Nick said sarcastically, rolling his eyes, making Abbie giggle. "Make yourself at home."

"Yeah, yeah. I have something to show you," he retorted, typing away on the computer's keyboard.

"Can't it wait?" Nick asked, back to playing with Abbie.

"It could wait," Joe replied, dragging out his response. "But I think this is something you really want to see right now."

Joe's mysterious grin sparked Nick's curiosity enough to make him leave Abbie playing by herself and walk over to his brother. "This better be worth my time."

"You tell me," he smirked, pointing to the computer screen.

Nick glanced at it, stopping to take a better look when he saw Miley's name in the headline. _Miley Stewart lands in NYC_. "Okay... so?" Nick shrugged, acting uninterested. "She comes to visit every few months. What's so special about this time around?"

"Oh nothing special," Joe replied nonchalantly, scrolling down the page to stop on a picture of a moving van in front of the Stewart mansion. "Just that she is moving back to town this time around."

Nick frowned, turning his attention back to the screen to read the article. "Although it is not confirmed, the sighting of a moving van pulling into the Stewart's driveway hours after Miley Stewart returned to town make us think that the heiress might be back to stay."

"So what are you gonna do little bro?" Joe asked, leaning back into the chair now that his mission was done.

"Nothing," Nick responded, leaving to rejoin Abbie in front of the dollhouse, smiling at her when she handed him the daddy figurine. "Why do you think I'm gonna do something?"

"Well I don't know. I was just thinking you would," Joe said, shrugging his shoulders. He got out of Nick's chair, walking over to the wall with a black and white photo hanging on it. "You know... since you were the one to buy her first picture and everything. I thought you would want to see her now that she moved back."

"Don't touch that," Nick snapped, seeing Joe run his fingers along the silver metal frame out of the corner of his eyes.

Jumping when Nick reprimanded him, he shot his hands up in front of him. "Geez. A little touchy there don't you think."

"Sorry," Nick apologized, his voice softer.

"Look, all I'm trying to say is that you have spent the last two months keeping up with what she is doing through gossip sites and exchanging e-mails with her. Don't you think it's time that you two meet face to face and see what's there?"

"I don't know," Nick responded.

"I think you should," Joe said.

"Should what?" Abbie asked, her curiosity finally getting the better of her.

"Nothing Abbie," Nick smiled at her.

-xox-

Miley walked through the revolving glass doors with the S&J emblem on them for the first time since she left, her heels clicking against the floor as she headed towards the elevators. She smiled and waved at all the familiar faces she remembered seeing when she had worked here before boarding the elevator to ride to the fourteenth floor. Stepping out, Miley headed towards her old office, stopping to talk to some of the employees before knocking on Mia's door.

"Come in," Mia called out from the other side of the closed door, her voice slightly muffled.

Miley opened the door, popping her head in to see Mia buried with a pile of folders. Oh how she didn't miss being where Mia currently was. "Mrs. Adams you have a visitor."

Mia looked up with a look of shock on her face, recognizing the voice. She got out of her chair as Miley walked all the way into the office. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she gave Miley a hug.

"I just thought I would stop by and see how my old office was doing," Miley smiled.

Mia pushed her playfully. "How long are you visiting?"

"I'm not," Miley replied, earning a look of confusion from Mia. "I'm moving back. Or I've moved back."

"Really?" she asked incredulously.

"Really," Miley said with a laugh and a nod of the head.

Mia clapped excitedly, pulling Miley in for another hug, a huge smile on her face. "It will be so good to have you back. Abbie will be so thrilled."

"I'm sure I will be just as thrilled as her," Miley replied with a chuckle. She had never seen Mia this excited before and she found it a little entertaining.

"So what made you decided to move back? L.A. wasn't for you anymore?" Mia asked, shooting out question after question much like Lily and Traci had done a couple hours ago. "What are you gonna do now?"

"Slow down Mia," Miley said. "I would love to sit and catch up with you right now, but I wanted to go visit my dad for a little bit."

"Oh right! Sorry," Mia apologized for keeping her, walking with her to the door. "Come over for dinner one night."

Miley nodded, agreeing to stop by when she had the chance. "But not tonight, I have something to show everyone tonight."

"Okay..." Mia said curiously before telling Miley to go see her father.

Miley abided, telling Mia what time to be at her house before walking towards the opposite wing to her dad's office. She knocked lightly on the door, inching it open slowly. "Dad?"

At the sound of her voice, Robby Ray dropped the folder he was reading before walking towards her to pull her into a hug, a smile on his face the whole time. "What are you doing here."

"Just thought I would drop by and surprise you," she replied, returning his hug. Miley was sure she had received enough hugs today to last her a lifetime.

"I am definitely surprised," Robby Ray said, ushering her towards a chair so they could talk. "So what is this visit for?"

"I'm actually moving back dad," she answered truthfully, tired of trying to spring the surprise on people slowly.

"Back here?"

"Yes dad, back here," Miley replied with a laugh. Why did no one believe her on the first try?

"Well I can't say I'm not surprise," he said with a huge grin permanently on his face. "But I'm happy to have you back. It's just not the same without you."

"Aww... thanks dad," she said, her cheeks turning a faint pink. In the last two years, her relationship with her dad had made big improvement.

"So what will you be doing now?"

"That is actually a surprise," Miley replied with a grin of her own. "I'm going to tell everyone tonight so be ready at seven." She was about to give him more details when her phone rang, the caller i.d. letting her know she had to take it. "Sorry dad, it's a call about tonight so I'll see you later."

"Yep, later." He got up, giving her a kiss on top of her head before she left the office to take the call.

She walked into the hallway, returning her assistant's call. "Hey Katie."

-xox-

Nick, Joe, and Abbie had been trained on an intense game of Candyland, all three of them sprawled out on the floor of Nick's office. Abbie was currently taking a break, coloring in one of her Disney Princesses coloring books while Nick and Joe were busy discussing whether or not Joe had been cheating. Sometime they acted like they were the eight year old.

"Nick?" Abbie interrupted the heated debate, looking up from her coloring book.

Nick and Joe stopped arguing, glaring at each other for a moment before Nick turned to Abbie, all traces of competitiveness gone. "Yes Abbie?"

"I'm hungry," she told him, rubbing her stomach to show him. "Can we get something to eat?"

Nick looked up at the clock on the wall, seeing that it was already close to four. "How about we go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat? Then go back to mom." She nodded, getting up from the floor to help Nick put all her things back into her bag. Swinging it over his shoulder, he took her hand in his before turning back to Joe. "I expect this place to be clean when I get back."

Joe frowned, grumbling at his place on the floor before starting to pack up the game pieces. Nick laughed, heading out the door and down the hall with Abbie in tow. He looked down when he felt her jerk her hand out of his.

"Miley!" she cried, taking off into a full sprint down the hallway. He looked up, seeing her on the phone a little ways down by the elevator before walking slowly after the girl, trying to not seem nervous.

"And the entertainment is all booked? Alright then, thanks Katie," Miley said into the phone. "I'll see you tonight then." She was just hanging up when a moving object ran right into her, making her wobble on her heels before ultimately falling down onto the carpeted ground which helped to cushion the impact a bit. "What in the?"

"Miley!" Abbie exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Miley as much as she could.

"What are you doing here kiddo?" Miley asked, still sprawled out on the ground with Abbie on top of her.

"Mommy brought me to work," Abbie replied, beaming with excitement as she sat up, making it possible for Miley to sit up as well. "I have been playing with Mr. Nick."

"Mr. Nick?" Miley asked, confused.

"Sorry, I didn't realize she would knock you down," Nick apologized when he finally reached them, slightly panting from running once he saw the both of them fall. Picking Abbie up to stand on her feet, he offered his hand to Miley to help her off the floor. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks." She took his hand, straightening out her clothes when she was upright again. Tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, she finally looked up at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied nervously.

"We were going to the cafeteria," Abbie pipped-in.

"You are, are you?" Miley asked with a smile, ruffling the little girl's hair.

"Can you come with us?" Abbie asked, bouncing next to Nick. "We're going to get something to eat."

"I don't know Abbie. I have a lot of work to do," Miley replied.

"Please..." Abbie whined, looking up at her with wide, innocent eyes.

"Abbie," Nick warned. "Miley said she can't."

"No, it's okay," Miley said. Abbie's puppy dog face always got to her. "I can do the stuff later."

"Yay!" Abbie exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly.

She looked exactly like her mother did earlier. She laced her fingers through Miley's, pulling her all the way to the elevator. Nick followed behind then, listening while Abbie told Miley all about her friends at school. They walked into the cafeteria after the very chatter-filled elevator ride, Abbie letting Miley take a break from listening to her talk to let Miley order a salad for herself and chicken fingers for Abbie. She looked at Nick with a raised eyebrow, waiting for him to order a hamburger before reaching into her purse for her wallet.

"I got it," Nick said, placing his hands on top of her's to stop her while he used his other hand to grab his wallet from the back pocket of his slacks.

"It's okay, I can get it." She shook his hand off, slipping her card out of the slot just in time to see Nick hand the cashier his card with a victorious smirk on his face.

"I told you I got it."

She shook her head at him, slipping her card back into it's slot and putting her wallet away before taking Abbie's hand again. "Well then you get to carry the tray," she grinned, turning to find a table with Abbie before glancing back over her shoulder at him. "Nick Dora bag by the way. I always pictured you as more of a Spongebob guy though."

"I happen to think Dora compliments me really well," he replied matter-of-factly, making her laugh. The sound of her laughter made Nick smile before he turned to grab their tray and follow after Miley and Abbie to a table in the corner. He liked that they weren't acting awkward towards each other.

"Will you come over and play with me before you leave again Miley?" Abbie asked, biting into one of her chicken fingers.

"I can come over all the time now Miss Abbie," Miley smiled, seeing Nick perk up out of the corner of her eyes. "Because I'm not leaving anymore."

"Really?" she asked with wide eyes full of excitement.

"Really," Miley answered for what seemed like the thousandth time in the past hour alone. Next time she ever decided to do something big, she wasn't going to keep it a secret anymore. It was tiring. "Now eat your food."

Abbie nodded, digging into her food. Nick laughed. "I need to learn how you do that. She never stops talking when I ask."

"It's all about authority," Miley responded, watching the little girl eat her food. "You act too much like her friend, of course she's not going to listen to you. Plus, she likes me more than you."

"I'm sure," he replied sarcastically, stuffing a fry into his mouth while she just laughed at him. "So what made you move back?"

Miley shrugged, swallowing her food before giving him an answer. "I just felt like it was time to come home."

Nick nodded. "I'm kinda surprised."

"I think everyone was surprised," Miley replied before looking at him. "I'm actually surprised to see you still here. I thought you would have done the same thing I did."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Just... you know," she trailed off. Miley had thought he would have done what she had and leave to pursue his music career he wanted. That was the whole point of Miley getting the guitar for him. A part of her was actually disappointed in him. "Nevermind..."

"No, tell me." He put what was left of his burger down and wiped his mouth before waiting for her to explain.

"I don't know. It's just that..." she paused, trying to find the right words. But before she could voice her opinion, Mia walked up to their table and saved Miley. She wasn't quite ready to have a serious conversation with Nick yet. She liked the playful, joking atmosphere they had around them.

"Hi mom," Abbie smiled when Mia reached them.

"Hey baby," Mia replied. She gave her daughter a quick kiss before turning her attention to the interesting pair in front of her, giving a questioning look to Miley who just shrugged her shoulders. "I was wondering where you kidnapped my daughter to."

"Sorry Mia," Nick apologized while Miley helped Abbie wiped her mouth and hands clean. "I was going to return her after we finished eatting."

"You are lucky I like you Jonas," Mia warned, giving him the best fake glare she could muster up. She obviously failed. "Alright baby girl, it is time to go home and take a bath."

"I should go too," Miley said, collecting Abbie's and her trash to throw away. "I have a lot to do before tonight."

"Right. The family and I will meet you at the house," Mia responded, taking the Dora bag from Nick who listened to their conversation curiously.

Mia picked up Abbie, looking pointedly from Nick to Miley. Getting her message, Miley turned to Nick just as Mia left with Abbie. "Are you free tonight Nick?"

"I actually have to work tonight," he answered, picking up the rest of the trash before standing up beside her.

"Right, work." Miley nodded, remembering back to all the hours she use to log in for the company. "Another time then."

"Definitely," he agreed. "Another time."

"Well, then... I'll see you around." Miley flashed him a friendly smile before leaving him standing at the table and headed towards the door.

-xox-

Miley and all her close friends and family were all piled in the back of a black limo, heading towards the surprise location. They were all dressed in cocktail attire with a glass of champagne, except for Abbie of course who had a juice box as a substitute.

"So are you going to tell us whre you aer taking us?" Oliver asked, busy pulling at his tie.

"Not yet," Miley replied. "I don't want to ruin the surprise so I can't spill the beans until we get there."

"Well then until then," Robby Ray announced, raising his champagne filled glass in the air so that everyone followed suit before he proposed a toast. "To Miley. I am so glad that you have returned to all your friends and family."

"To Miley!"

"Thank you," Miley said, blushing slightly at her father's words. "I want to add that I am very blessed to have the friends and family that I do. You guys have been there for me through so much, especially when I decided to move across the country to pursue a dream and I can never thank you guys enough for that. So tonight is for you. This is my present to all of you to say thank you for all your support."

"So what's the present?" Oliver tried again, earning an elbow in the ribs from Lily, making everyone burst into laughter.

Feeling the car come to a stop, Miley became both excited and anxious simultaneously. She climbed out of the car and waited until the rest of the party were situated on the sidewalk before waving her hand to show off the building they were standing in front of. "This is it."

"What is it?" Abbie asked, voicing everyone's question.

"Well Miss Abbie," Miley said, stooping to pick the little girl up. She might have been eight but she was still light as a feather. "This is the location for the first official office of Destiny Hope Photography by Miley Stewart."

She heard the group behind her gasp in surprise, turning around to find them all wide-eyed and staring. All at once, they broke out into a chorus of 'oh my gods' and 'congratulations'. Smiling, she simply nodded as a response.

"Tonight is the grand opening... of sorts," she announced, leading the group through the glass doors and into the lobby. They were immediately greeted by the chatter of guests and the sound of live music filling the air. "So make yourself at home and take a look around."

They all took their time to give her each a hug and offer their congratulations before going to explore the art gallery, leaving her along with her dad.

"I am so proud of you," he said, pulling her into a fatherly hug. Everything about his eyes and stance showed her that he was definitely proud of her. "I knew you could do it."

"Thank you," she responded, hugging her father back. "I couldn't have done it without you though."

"Mom would be proud," he said, his eyes beaming while she teared up at his words.

"Thanks dad," she managed to get out. Her emotions had gotten the best of her and silent tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"Miley?"

She broke apart from her dad, wiping the tears away as she looked up to see her assistant standing in the entry-way of the galley. "Hey Katie."

"Sorry to interrupt but there are guests who would liek to speak to you," Katie announced.

"I'll be right there. I'm just going to stop by the bathroom real quick," she told Katie who nodded and headed back inside to the gallery.

"I'll just go take a look around and stop making you cry," Robby Ray said, giving his daughter another hug.

Miley smiled, watching him go before stopping by the bathroom to check her appearance. Satisfied that she had no mascara running, she walked into the brightly lit gallery and was immediately ushered towards the guests by Katie. It took her close to two hours to meet everyone and exchange a few words before she was able to relax and enjoy the night.

"This is really nice Miley," Traci commented, looking around the perimeter of the gallery.

Miley was currently standing with Traci and Lily, the rest of the group having left already since it was nearing ten. "It was all Katie's doing. The only thing I did was find the place."

"I would keep her around then," Lily said, taking a sip of her drink.

Miley nodded in agreement, listening to the music through the sound system. "Whoever she hired as the live entertainment is really good." Traci and Lily exchanged a worried look, catching Miley's eye. "What? What's wrong?"

"You haven't seen the band?" Miley shook her head to say no.

"You are in for a surprise then," Lily said, taking Miley's hand to drag her towards the back corner of the gallery where the band was set up. Standing behind a wall where they could see the band but the band couldn't see them, Lily instructed Miley to take a peek. "See anyone you recognize?"

"No," Miley replied, frowning in confusion. "Should I recognize someone?"

"Look a little harder at the singer," Traci told her.

Miley looked again, focusing on the singer playing the guitar. The same guitar she had gotten for Nick two years ago. "Nick Jonas?"

Lily nodded. "Nick Jonas."

"You didn't know?" Traci asked in which she got a shake of the head as a response. "I guess I should have made that connection since Nick was pretty surprised to see us too. But um... surprise."

"Surprise indeed," Miley mumbled.

"Miley?" Katie called, interrupting a moment once again. "Some of the guests are leaving and would like to say goodbye to you."

"Okay," she replied, turning her back on Nick. "If I don't see you guys before you leave than thank you for coming tonight."

"No problem," Traci answered for both her and Lily.

Miley pulled then both into a hug before going off with Katie. She played her duties, smiling and thanking everyone individually for coming out to celebrate with her, breathing a sigh of relief when they had all left.

"All that's left is for the band to leave," Katie informed her. "They should be packing up right now."

"Oh well I'll wait and lock up. You can go ahead and head home."

"Are you sure?" Katie asked. "I can stay, I don't mind."

"No, no. You have done way too much already," Miley said, walking with her to the front door. "I'll see you in a week."

"If you're sure."

"I'm sure, now go," Miley pressed, holding the door open for her. She thanked Katie again, watching her get into a cab before locking the door. Walking back into the gallery, she headed towards where the band were finishing packing up their equipment.

"Thank you for coming tonight," she said to the band, catching Nick's attention. "You guys sounded really good."

They thanked her for her compliment, picking up their equipment to walk to the entrance. Miley followed, unlocking the door for them. She waited until Nick walked past her before stopping him by grabbing his wrist. "Can you stay and talk for a little bit?"

He hesitated for a moment before giving her a nod. "Hey, you guys go one without me."

"You sure man?" Nick nodded.

"Yeah, go ahead and leave."

His band members agreed, loading up the rest of their stuff into the back of the truck before driving off, leaving Nick and Miley completely alone which made her a little nervous. She stood biting her bottom lip as she waited for him to walk back in, locking the door behind him. THey were now standing across from each other in the dark and quiet lobby, the only light source coming from the gallery spilling into the room. Neither of them were sure of what to say. They found it so much easier to talk to each other when other people were around.

"You were-"

"I um-"

They both started and stopped talking at the exact same moments, making Miley burst out laughing at how pathetically awkward they were being. Nick joined in after a few seconds. They were somewhat friends... and both adults. They should be able to talk to each other.

"I was going to say congratulations," Nick said once they both recovered from the spontaneous laughter. "All of this is pretty amazing."

"Well thank you," Miley responded sincerely, taking a moment to sweep her eyes across the room. "I should actually thank you for all of this."

Nick looked at her questioningly. "How so?"

"It was what you said to me that one day int he office that help me decide that this is what I wanted to do," she answered truthfully, walking to the receptionist desk to sit on it. "Truthfully... without you I would most likely still be at the company."

"I have been meaning to say thank you for that."

"You already have," she replied, kicking off her heels which landed on the tiled floor with a thud. "In the very first e-mail."

"I know I idd, but something that big needs to be said in person," he responded, looking into her blue eyes. "So thank you. That was very risky and selfless of you to give my family a portion of your company."

"I wanted to do it," she shrugged like it was no big deal, breaking eye-contact with him. "Plus it was, in a way, something I did to try and get you to forgive me."

He nodded, muttering a pathetic, "yeah..."

They stayed in the lobby for a couple more minutes, each of them basking in their own thoughts before Miley suddenly hopped off the desk, startling Nick a bit. "Do you want a tour?"

"Um... yeah, sure." He mentally smacked himself at how big of a loser he was making himself sound.

"Okay well welcome to Destiny Hope Photography by Miley Stewart," she announced. Her arms were outstretched beside her while she gestured to the space they were currently standing in. She was about to walk towards the office area when the look on his face stopped her. "What?"

"Destiny Hope?"

Of course he would recognize the name. He had made it up close to three years ago. "Yeah, it just kinda stuck," she replied sheepishly. "I hope you don't mind."

He smiled. "No, not at all."

"Okay well... follow me," she said quickly before walking to the left of the lobby and up the stairs. "This is Katie's office," she said as she pointed tot he right where an empty room was. "I haven't exactly gotten around to furniture shopping."

"Well that's understandable." He followed after her, passing by a meeting room, the bathroom, and a few photography studios. "How did you find this place anyways? I thought you just got back to town this morning."

"I did come home this morning, but I actually found the place on my last visit here." Miley glanced behind her to flash him a smile before opening the door to the last room on the tour. "This is my office and the only room which is fully furnished."

The room had an airy feel to it, the walls painted a calming blue. She had picked the color because it matched the color of the clear blue ocean in California. There were three rows of staggered floating black shelves behind her desk with a few of her favorite black and white photos on display. It was a fairly nice office, decorated to have an inviting feeling and furnished for comfort. The only downfall was the view from the window that overlooked the busy street."

"It's very you," Nick commented, surveying the room. He walked over to her window, looking out to see a few couples walking the street. "The view doesn't compare to your last office though."

"I definitely agree with you there," Miley laughed. She pushed off the door frame, walking to take a seat on the couch against the opposite wall from where Nick was standing. Still barefoot from when she ditched her heels in the lobby, she curled her legs under her and watched as he inspected the pictures on the shelves. "I don't think any office will have the view Mia has now."

Nick laughed in agreement, pointing to the pictures. "These are really good."

"Thanks," Miley replied, gesturing for him to take a seat. He stood standing for a moment, weighing his options before settling on the far side of the same couch she was sitting on. "The story behind the pictures are even better than the finish product itself."

"What about your story?"

"My story?" Miley asked out of confusion. "You should already know my story. The whole country knows my story."

"Not that story," Nick replied, shaking his head. "I want to know about the past two years and L.A."

"That's a long and boring story."

"Well it doesn't look like either one of us is very busy right now," Nick said, looking around her empty office.

Miley chuckled. "I guess you're right."

"I'm always right," Nick joked.

Miley rolled her eyes at him, cracking a smile when she saw him smile as well before starting her story. "Well... L.A. isn't all that different from New York but at the same time it was a whole new world. I learned a lot there and not just about photography, but I learned a lot about the world outside my little bubble here and a lot about myself." Nick sat quietly while she told him about the last two years of her life, inserting the appropriate reaction when the time called for it. He noticed how much happier she seemed to be, her eyes sparkling with excitement and her smile lighting up her face. It was infectious, causing him to smile along with her. "But now I'm home again and I think this time around, I'll be happy with being home."

"Well I'm glad," Nick said with a smile. "It sounds like you had a very good time in L.A. It much have been an experience working with Henry Green."

"It was great. He was so nice and helpful," she gushed, looking like an excited little girl.

"I'm glad you're happy," Nick said sincerely.

"Thanks," Miley blushed, getting up from the couch abruptly. She turned towards him, offering him her hand to help pull him up. "I know you've probably seen the gallery already, but do you wanna walk around it again?"

"Sure," he replied, taking her outstretched hand so she could help him up. Although he didn't need her help at all. "I didn't get a chance to see the pictures before."

"Follow me then."

They retraced their steps, walking back up the hallway and down the stairs to the lobby before entering the gallery room. Walking around, she told him the stories behind her favorite pictures while he tried to guess the stories behind the others and failed miserably. He ended up making random stories that had nothing to do with what the picture was about. It had them both in fits of laughter the whole time.

"You know," she said suddenly, looking at him. "I was very surprised to run into you here and even more surprised to find out you are in a band."

"Surprised?" Nick questioned. "How so?"

Miley shrugged, sliding down one of the white walls to sit on the floor with her legs straight out in front of her. "I guess I just wasn't expecting it."

"Why not?" he asked, mirroring her move and sitting down next to her.

"When I ran into you at the office today, I guess I thought you had settled," she started to explain, leaning her head back on the wall. "I was actually going to tell you I was disappointed in you today at lunch." She turned her head to look at him and smiled. "I am definitely glad I didn't say it to you now. I would have felt so bad."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't have blamed you."

"So what?" she asked, catching his attention. "You work at the office during the week and do your music on the weekends?"

"Something like that," he nodded, turning his head to face her. "I only work at the office Wednesdays through Fridays and the rest of the week I do gigs or just work on my music."

"That's good," Miley said, bumping his shoulder with her own. "I'm glad you took your own advice."

"Me too."

Miley smiled. "So what's your story?"

"I'm afraid my story is not as interesting as yours."

"Nuh uh," Miley retorted. "I had to tell you mine so you have to tell me yours. It is only fair."

She stuck out her bottom lip, putting on her best puppy dog face. He could never say no toher when she used it against him two years ago, and it was still his weakness today. "Fine..."

"I knew you couldn't say no to me," she smirked.

"I can't say no to Abbie either so don't feel too special," he replied.

Miley snorted. "Where do you think she got it from?"

"Well she isn't your goddaughter for nothing," Nick laughed.

"That is so true," Miley laughed along. But she stopped to scowl when she realized what he was trying to do. "You are not getting out of telling me about the last two years mister," she scolded, smacking him on the arm with the back of her hand. She most likely hurt herself more than him in the process.

"Alright... okay," he laughed even more, not even phased by her attempt at physical threatening. "Well I stayed with the company for awhile after the merge. I wanted to make sure everything was going smoothly before I started to cut back my hours."

"How was that anyways?" she interrupted. "The merge and out families working together and all?"

"It went well... the merge and our familes. At the beginning you tell it was awkward for our dads but now they are like best friends," he replied with a smile, shaking his head simultaneously. "Do you know that they go golfing every Wednesday?"

"Really?" Miley asked disbelievingly. "My dad doesn't go golfing."

"He does now," Nick replied. "They leave after lunch and are not seen for the rest of the day."

"Huh... who would have thought," Miley said, shaking her head in disbelief. "But go on."

"Right. Well after I cut back on the hours, I focused on the music and eventually formed the band. The guys are mostly guys I grew up with so it makes it fun," he explained. To Miley he looked like a little kid describing his new toy to you with the way a smile was present. "No one knows yet but we actually went to L.A. a couple months ago to meet with a few record labels."

"Why didn't you tell me you went to L.A.?" Miley snapped, making Nick jump at the volume of her voice. There was an echo in the gallery that made it sound way louder.

"I didn't want to bother you?" he offered, his answer coming across as more of a question than a statement.

She smacked him on the arm for a second time that night, still not doing any major or even minor damage. "You should have let me know you were in town. My friends and I could have taken you and the band out around the town."

He gave her an 'I'm sorry' look. "I'll let you know the next time we head over there."

"Ha ha," Miley replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes at him. "So meeting with record labels..."

"Well it's too early to tell right now but I have a very good feeling about it."

"That is so great Nick," Miley squealed in excitement and pulled him into a hug, her reflexes taking over. She let him go, smiling proudly at him before letting out another squeal and giving him another hug.

"I guess you're excited," Nick laughed, catching a whiff of her hair. It was a subtle smell of vanilla, very calming.

She unwrapped her arms from around him, a faint blush on her cheeks as she sat back. "Sorry, I got a little carried away. But that is really great Nick."

He gave her a friends smile. "Thanks. I feel better after sharing that."

"Well I'm glad you told me."

"Me too," he agreed. They sat there, on the floor of the gallery smiling at each other. "Tonight was fun. I'm glad we were able to sit and catch up with each other."

"I had fun too," Miley agreed with her own smile. "This is good... me and you... talking and being honest and whatnot."

Nick nodded. This was as close as they had gotten to talking about what happened between them two years ago. "Very good."

"Oh my gosh it's almost three," Miley said out of nowhere when she caught a glance at her watch. She got up off of the floor, Nick doing the same. "I'm so sorry. I probably ruined any plans you had tonight. If they're mad just tell them it was my fault and that I'm so sorry to have kept you. Unless it's a girl... you probably wouldn't want to tell them it's my fault. That might not come across in your favor."

"Miley, breathe." Miley stopped talking, her eyes wide while Nick just smiled at her. It was cute how she was rambling. "It's okay, I didn't have any plans that you didn't ruin."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, but it is late and you're probably tired."

"Now that you mention it," Miley said, a sleepy yawn slipping out. "I am a little, I guess."

Nick laughed. "Let's get you home sleeping beauty."

Miley let Nick guide her back into the lobby. The both of them stopping by the front desk, Miley taking the time to put her shoes back on while Nick called a taxi service.

"They should be here in ten minutes," he informed her, putting his phone away.

"Thanks," she replied, taking a seat on the receptionist's desk much like before to wait for the taxi. "So does your family still do dinner every Thursday?"

"Haven't skipped a Thursday yet," Nick replied, leaning on the desk next to her. "Your dad has actually joined us a couple of times."

"Really?" Miley asked, surprised. "He never mentioned that to me."

"Yep, he fits right in," Nick said with a laugh, obviously thinking of something funny. "Him and Joe gets along really well."

"I'm scared to even know."

"It's pretty entertaining but nothing embarrassing," he assured her. "You should come with him one Thursday."

Miley nodded, smiling at him. "I'd like that."

"Okay," he replied. "I'll give you a call."

"Alright."

Seeing a taxi pull up, Nick helped Miley off the desk before walking outside and waiting for her to lock up. "So I'll call you and let you know about dinner," he said, opening the car door open for her.

"You're not coming?" Miley asked when she saw him still standing on the sidewalk.

"No," Nick declined, closing the door after her before leaning into the open window. "There is another one coming."

"Oh, alright." He thought of everything apparently.

"Night Miley," he grinned before handing the driver enough money to cover her fare.

"Thanks Nick."

He nodded at her while she gave him a small wave before the taxi drove off. She turned around in her seat to watch him stand on the sidewalk, waiting until she couldn't see him anymore before turning back around to watch the street lights zoom pass the window. Tonight had been a very good night.

* * *

**So I hope that was okay... it is still going to be a little while longer before Nick and Miley even think about addressing the obvious feelings they have for each other. But in the next few updates you'll be able to catch the chemistry between them that we all know they have in the story and in real life. **

**I do have bad news though... I most likely won't be able to update for a week or two. My sister's family is coming down and my nieces and moving in with us so I won't have that much time to type. I do have the next chapter all written out and sitting on my desk so it won't take long for me to get around to it once they leave. So I'll see you guys in a week or two... but until then... reviews make me happy!**


	12. Chapter 11

Miley jotted down a couple of personal notes about the seemingly happy and in love couple sitting in front of her down in her black binder for future reference. She noted the couple's interactions with each other like the way he absentmindedly twirled a lock of her hair between his fingers or the way she would lean in closer towards him every so often. From an outsider's view, you could practically see their love for each other radiating off of them by the way they looked at one another with goofy grins and twinkling eyes.

"We want to stay within the more traditional and elegant sense. Just something very simple," the beaming bride-to-be explained while Miley nodded in understanding and continued to take notes. "We want people to be able to see how much we love each other when they see the pictures."

"I'm sure I can come up with something that will fit all of your criteria," Miley smiled, pressing a button on the intercom system to page Katie. "We can start in the studio and then move onto outside locations. There are a few places in Central Park we can use and if you two have any personal spots you would like to use, we can worth with that also."

Hearing the meeting room door open, all three sets of eyes turned to see Katie walk in. "This is my assistant Katie, she will go through and finalize all the details with you."

"Hello," Katie greeted the couple, shaking each of their hands before taking the seat Miley had just abandoned.

Miley shook their hands also, saying her goodbyes and promising that they will see each other in three weeks before leaving the meeting room. Walking back to her office, she set the folders she was carrying onto her desk before making her way over to the dry-erase calendar hanging on the wall to add the new appointment. She now had three weeks to scout for locations in Central Park.

"Miley?" Her receptionist's voice rang through the office, coming from the intercom system.

Crossing the room to her desk, Miley pressed the talk button down. "Yeah Jess?"

"Sorry to bother you," Jessica apologized unnecessarily even though Miley had already told her so many times to break that habit. "But there is a Traci here to see you."

"Send her up," Miley responded.

Not five minutes later, Traci came waltzing into Miley's office with two brown paper bags in each of her hands. "Hey Ms. Stewart."

"Hey Traci," Miley chuckled. Traci had resorted to calling her Ms. Stewart ever since the office officially opened. She said it made her sound more professional, but Miley just thought she sounded like an old lady. She walked over to her friend, taking one of the bags out of Traci's hands to help her. "What is all of this?"

"I thought I would stop by and bring you lunch," Traci replied, shaking the one brown bag in her hand for emphasis. She walked over to Miley's coffee table, setting down the bag before sitting down on the black leather couch. "I brought your favorite," she grinned while pulling out the take-out boxes to place on the table. "Sushi from City Wok."

"Why didn't you say so?" Miley exclaimed, making Traci laugh at her enthusiasm at the mention of sushi. Taking a seat next to her, Miley helped her get all the boxes situated on the table. "Geez Traci, how much did you order?' she asked, looking at all the white Styrofoam boxes that littered the tabletop. "We could probably feed a party of ten."

"Okay… so maybe I got a little carried away," Traci replied sheepishly, passing Miley a pair of chopsticks and a paper plate.

"I'm not complaining," Miley laughed, popping a California roll into her mouth before humming in pleasure. "Mmm… they never disappoint."

Traci chuckled, watching her friend. Miley was never the one who was scared to enjoy eating. "I'm glad you're enjoying it."

"I always do," Miley smirked. She looked over to Traci, seeing a certain look in her green eyes. Narrowing her own blue eyes at her, she questioned her friend's motives. "What do you want?"

"Nothing,' Traci answered as convincingly as she could manage. If Miley didn't know any better, she would have believed her.

"I know you better than that," Miley said matter-of-factly, stuffing another roll into her mouth. "So what is it that you want?"

"You have to promise me that you will hear me out," Traci started out with, making Miley wary of what Traci was about to say. But her wide and pleading eyes were making it hard for Miley to flat out say no to her.

"I'll hear you out," Miley sighed. She immediately held up a hand when she saw Traci break out into an triumphant smile, cutting off her excitement prematurely. "But I still have a choice as to whether or not I go through with what you are about to ask."

Traci pouted, but nevertheless relented to Miley's guidelines. "Well there is this guy and he wants to meet you."

"No," Miley said automatically, shaking her head as if Traci couldn't hear what she had just said.

"Miiilleeyyy," Traci whined. "You agreed that you would hear me out."

"Fine…" Miley replied in a huff. "I'll hear you out but my answer is still going to be a big fat no."

Traci groaned out of frustration. Miley was always so difficult.

"As I was saying… there is this guy. His name is Aaron and he has been bugging me to meet you." Seeing Miley start to pull back from her, Traci decided to change her tactics. "I grew up with him and I would never even think about asking you to meet him if I wasn't sure he had good intentions."

"No offense to you Traci, but every guy I met has good intentions," Miley said. "They just don't always stick to those good intentions."

"I know but he really is a good guy," Traci protested.

"I'm sure he is," Miley sighed, trying not to look Traci right in the eyes. She could never say no to people when they looked her in the eyes. It was a weakness. "I just don't know about this."

"That's what I figured… so I came up with a way for you to meet him in a controlled environment," Traci explained, looking at her hopefully. "Lily, Oliver, and I are going to a bar tonight. If you agree to come with us then you could meet Aaron and if you like him then good but if not than I'll make up some excuse to get you out of there."

"I don't know Traci…" Miley repeated warily.

"Please Miley," Traci pleaded. "Worst comes to worst, you at least get to hang out with your friends for a night. When was the last time we all got to hang out and have fun?"

She knew she was playing dirty by using guilt, but she did what she thought needed to be done.

"Traci…" Miley said, making the mistake of looking her in the eyes. "Well…" She was cracking and Traci knew it, sticking out her bottom lip as icing on the top. Shaking her head at her weakness, Miley sighed. "Fine."

Traci squealed with delight. "You will not regret this."

"I'm sure I won't," Miley said halfheartedly, rolling her eyes before going back to working on getting rid of all of the food on the table.

"So how is business?" Traci asked once she calmed down a bit.

"It's going good,' Miley replied after swallowing her food. Wiping her mouth with a napkin, she pointed a finger towards her calendar on the wall. "It's picking up slowly."

"Evans family… Davidson baby," Traci read from the board. "Lockhart wedding, C. Crawford shoot…" She paused then, quietly repeating C. Crawford a few times while Miley waited in amusement. It only took about thirty seconds before the light bulb went off. "Please tell me that C stands for Chace."

Miley smirked. "Maybe…"

"Can I be here for the shoot?" Traci asked, her eyes shining with hope and excitement. "Please, please, pleeaassssee…."

Miley acted like she was contemplating the idea while Traci waited as patiently as she could next to her, repeating the world please as fast as she could so that it now sounded more like 'pleh' before Miley sighed dramatically. "Alright… I guess you can come."

Traci broke out into her second squeal in less than twenty minutes, throwing her arms around Miley and chanting thank you over and over again, making Miley laugh. "I promise not to get in the way or jump his bones."

"Well thank you for being considerate to his bones," Miley replied, setting down her pair of chopsticks and plate. "How about we pack this all up and go shopping? I need to expand my wardrobe."

"Sounds good to me," Traci agreed, clearing away the empty boxes so they could get out of there.

-xox-

"You so owe me for tonight," Miley said to Traci as they walked into the crowded bar that reeked of stale smoke. Traci had practically forced her into a dark purple tank mini-dress with a black belt around the waist, complete with a pair of black peep toe stilettos. "You better hope I find Aaron hot.'

"I got it," Traci laughed, not feeling a bit threatened. Pushing her way through the crowd, she led Miley towards the bar to meet up with Lily and Oliver. "I owe you."

"Hey guys," Lily greeted when the two reached her. "You look pretty tonight Miles."

"Thanks, Miley said to both Lily and Oliver who handed all of them a drink. Taking a sip of the concoction, Miley sat down on the empty stool next to Lily, catching up with both of them while Traci excused herself. Miley watched as she headed back to the door before turning back to her friends. "I have a bad feeling about tonight."

"I'm sure everything will be fine and you are going to have fun," Lily assured her, patting Miley on her exposed knee while Oliver nodded in agreement.

"Right… fun," Miley sighed, seeing Traci walking back towards them with someone -most likely Aaron- following behind her.

"Miley Stewart this is Aaron Philips," Traci said, stepping aside to reveal Aaron. He was tall with blonde hair and blue eyes, looking like he had just walked out from an Abercrombie and Fitch ad. "Aaron this is Lily, Oliver, and of course Miley.'

"Nice to finally meet you Miley," Aaron said with a alluring smile, taking her hand in his and bringing it up to his lips to place a kiss on it. He was laying on the charm thick. "I've heard so much about you.'

Miley smiled politely, gently yanking her hand out from his. Who still kisses a person's hand in the 21st century? 'It's nice to meet you too, Aaron."

"Why don't we move to a table," Oliver suggested, fighting back a smile when he saw Miley discreetly wipe the back of her hand off on her dress. Helping both Lily and Miley off their seats, he led the group to an available booth against the wall. Making up an excuse, Miley waited for Aaron to slide into the seat first before sitting down next to him, flinching slightly when he wrapped his arm loosely around her waist.

"Aaron, why don't you tell Miley what you do for a living," Traci said from across the table, sitting directly in front of Miley.

"It's nothing special," he replied with a smug smile. Miley mentally shook her head. In her years of meeting a lot of people, that same line was used only when the person wanted to appear modest. If you were proud of your job, then say it with pride. "I started my own computer programming company that is pretty successful these days."

"That's really good," Miley replied, feeling his eyes staring at her.

"I hear you just started a photography studio." Miley nodded. "How is the business turning out?"

"It's really good," Miley answered. "It's coming up slowly."

"It's hard work building up your name and credibility," Aaron commented. Miley nodded in agreement, glancing at him to see that he was still staring at her with a smile on his face. Truth be told, she was feeling a little uncomfortable with how touchy feely he was already being. "Although I'm sure that it won't nearly be as hard as it was for the rest of us given who you are."

Unknowingly hitting a nerve, Aaron kept rambling and making jokes while everyone chuckled along nervously. Miley just played with her drink, occasionally glaring at Traci depending on how forward Aaron was being with her. Miley had been right, tonight was not going to be a good night.

"You so owe me," she mouthed to Traci who looked at her apologetically.

Seeing Aaron turn to look at her out of the corner of her eye, Miley put on a forced smile before turning back towards him, trying to discreetly escape from under his hand which was rubbing up and down her arm. At this point she was only half listening to the conversation going on around her, putting in her own input when the time called for it. Instead, she absentmindedly ran her index finger along the rim of her cup, taking a sip of her drink to distract her when she felt Aaron scoot a little closer to her. It was a shame, really. He was a really attractive guy but his personality and actions was anything but attractive.

She needed to find a way to get out of there, feeling a little trapped. Little did she know, there was someone that could save her from this nightmare standing by the bar.

--------------------

"There are a lot of pretty girls here tonight," Joe said, his eyes scanning over the perimeter of the bar. He turned to his left, clapping Nick on the back while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Aren't you glad you came out tonight?"

Nick rolled his eyes at his older brother, taking a big gulp from his beer bottle. "Ecstatic."

"Don't be all… Nick tonight," Joe warned, leaning back against the bar. "Please try to have some type of fun tonight."

"I'm having fun," Nick said, sarcasm laced into his tone of voice. "Tons of fun."

"Right." Joe went back to scanning the room, ignoring his brother's difficulty, before stopping at a girl standing by the wall with a group of friends. "Why don't you go talk to that cute blonde over there. The one in red."

Nick took a glance towards the girl. "She's not my type."

"Ooookaaayyy…" Joe dragged out, shaking his head. Going back to scouting the room, his eyes scanned over all the girls. He stopped at a familiar looking brunette sitting with her friends. "Hey, isn't that Miley over there?"

"Where?" Nick asked, looking in the direction Joe was pointing to. He saw her sitting with her friends and guy who had his arm draped around her shoulders. "Yeah," Nick shrugged, turning his back to face the bar. "That's her."

"Let's go say hi."

"Let's not," Nick protested. "I don't want to interrupt her."

"Come on man," Joe said, pulling on his arm for him to follow. "We're just saying hey."

"No Joe, she looks busy."

"She's just sitting with her friends," Joe said, rolling his eyes at his difficult brother. He swore Nick was worse than a girl sometimes. Weaving through the crowd, he held onto Nick's arm to make sure he wouldn't run away, dropping it when they reached the table. "Hey Miley and friends."

"Hey guys!" Miley exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief. "Funny seeing you here."

"Oh yeah," Nick said awkwardly, looking back and forth between Miley and the blonde. "We just wanted to come by and say hi, but we'll let you guys get back to your night."

"Wait!" Miley cried out, making everyone turn towards her. She laughed it off, getting up to give both Nick and Joe a hug. "Save me," she whispered into their ear before turning back to her friends. "Guys these are my friends Nick and Joe. Nick you already know Lily and Traci, but this guy is Lily's boyfriend Oliver and this is Traci's friend Aaron.

"Nice to meet you," Nick said politely, giving both guys a handshake while Joe just stared at Traci.

"Hi," he smiled, offering his hand only to Traci who blushed before slipping her own hand into his. "I'm Joe Jonas, this one's older and much cuter brother."

Nick shook his head in disbelief while Traci just giggled and blushed. "Hi."

"Why don't you guys pull up a chair and join us," Oliver suggested.

"Oh no that's okay," Nick declined his offer while Joe just pulled up a chair from a nearby table. "We don't want to intrude. Do we Joe?" But by this time it was already too late, Joe had planted himself right next to Traci.

Miley quickly grabbed Nick's arm, sitting back down in the booth before pulling Nick down next to her. He stared at her in shock while Miley just smiled sweetly back at him. "You're not intruding at all."

"Well if you insist."

"Oh I do," Miley said, now sandwiched between Nick and Aaron.

"So what are you guys here for?" Joe asked, clearly directing his question at Traci.

"For me," Aaron responded, obviously tired of being excluded from the conversation. He smiled widely at Miley who acted like she didn't hear him and sipped on her half-finished drink instead. "Traci set this up so that I could meet this beautiful lady."

Miley choked on her drink, coughing while Joe and Oliver started snickering and Nick pounded on her back with his own smile. Lily looked at her with worry while Traci had only an apologetic look on her face. Miley scowled at each and every one of them, taking another drink to clear her windpipes.

"Are you okay?" Aaron asked her with concern, placing a hand on one of her shoulders.

"I'm fine," Miley answered, her voice still scratchy from choking. She wiggled out from Aaron's hand, asking Nick to let her out before turning back to look at Traci. "Can I see you in the bathroom for a minute?"

"Sure…" she answered hesitantly. She got up from the seat, maneuvering herself around Joe's chair before following Miley to the bathroom. "Miley, I am so sorry," she apologized the moment they got into the restroom. "I don't know why he is being the way he is tonight."

"It's okay, Traci. Most guys are either intimidated by me or come off too pushy so it's perfectly normal the way he's acting, she said, waving her hand in the air like it was no big deal. "But you got me into this so you get me out of this."

"Alright," Traci agreed without hesitation. She was the reason Miley was here and she had promised she would get her out of it if she wasn't enjoying herself. "It's the least I can do for you." Miley only nodded in agreement, leaning against the sink counter while she watched Traci think of an excuse. "I'll just tell him I don't want him around you."

"Don't hurt his feelings though," Miley said quickly. She was always so considerate, always thinking of others feelings.

"Well I could just let him stay."

Miley's eyes widened in horror. "Scratch that… hurt his feelings," she said, making Traci chuckle. "But please do it nicely."

"As nice as I can make it," she promised with a smile, giving Miley a hug. They walked back to their table, all eyes trained on them.

"Remember… nicely," Miley reminded Traci as they neared their friends. Traci just nodded in understanding.

"Everything okay?" Nick asked with concern, standing up when they reached the table.

"Yep," Traci answered for the both of them, unlooping her arm from Miley's she turned to speak to Aaron. "Can you come with me outside?"

Aaron nodded with a confused look on his face before getting up from the table. Stopping in front of Miley, he gave her a warm smile before giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll be right back baby."

Miley gave him a tight lipped smile before he turned to follow behind an apprehensive looking Traci. Grimacing from the fact that he had just kissed her on the cheek and calling her baby, Miley dropped down onto the empty seat while everyone burst out into laughter.

She rolled her eyes at them. "Real mature guys."

"I'm sorry Miles," Lily apologized, trying to keep herself from laughing too hard. "But that was absolutely horrible."

"Tell me about it," she mumbled, downing the rest of the liquid still sitting in her cup.

"Where did Traci find this guy?" Oliver snorted between laughs. "He said he wanted to marry you while you were gone."

"He practically had it all planned out already," Joe exclaimed, slapping his hands on the tabletop while breaking out into another laughing attack with Oliver.

They were clearly enjoying her misery a little too much. "I am done. No more meeting guys no matter who says they are decent."

Miley's 'no boys' declaration had Joe and Oliver laughing even harder while Lily tried her hardest to fight back giggles. Miley was even trying to keep herself from laughing with them. Nick, on the other hand, stayed quiet, sitting in the chair Joe had occupied earlier since Joe had moved to sit in Traci's old spot, leaving Miley by herself on the other side of the booth.

"I am so sorry Miles," Traci apologized again as soon as she reached the table, sans Aaron, before sliding in beside Miley. "I swear I didn't know he would be like that."

"It's okay Traci," Miley said to try and make her calm down. "I'll forgive you as long as you promise not to set me up with anymore dates."

Traci sighed in relief, giving Miley a hug. "I promise."

"Alright, enough of this love fest," Joe interrupted, getting up from his place to pull Traci up from the seat. "Let's head to the bar."

Everyone murmured their agreement, getting up from the table to follow Joe's lead. But Miley stayed where she was, waving her hand to tell them to go without her. She needed a little time to herself to wind down from the whole situation. "You guys go ahead, I'll meet you guys in a little bit."

They all hesitated about leaving her alone, but she told them she would join them in a couple of minutes so they reluctantly left her to head to the bar. Miley waited until they were across the room before laying her head down on her arms while were crossed on top of the table. Closing her eyes, she focused on the music playing while she tried to get the tension out from her shoulders. Ten minutes passed and she felt the seat next to her dip down.

"You didn't need to come check up on me," she told whoever was beside her without picking up her head. She figured it was just Traci or Lily.

"I thought I would bring you another drink."

Opening her eyes, she sat up to face Nick, blushing a light pink as she straightened out her dress. "Thanks."

He smiled, offering the cup to her. "It looks like you need it."

Smiling warmly at him, she took the drink from him, her fingers brushing lightly against his. "How bad was it?"

"Really bad," Nick chuckled, taking a drink from his beer bottle. "That guy was ridiculous and you looked miserable."

"I guess it's my own fault for agreeing to it," she shrugged, watching her friends at the bar. Smiling, she pointed a finger at Joe who had an arm wrapped around Traci's shoulders. "It looks like Joe's developed a little crush on Traci."

"I'm sure he would do anything she asked him to," Nick said, turning to watch them also. "It looks like she doesn't mind the attention either."

Miley hmm'd in response, watching the way Traci was laughing at whatever Joe was whispering in her ear. "I hope he knows what he is getting himself into."

"I'm sure he can handle it," Nick replied, turning back around to smile at her. "You look really pretty tonight."

"Thanks," Miley blushed, her eyes darting down to the drink in her hands. "You don't look so bad yourself."

It was true. He didn't look bad. His hair was a little shorter than it had been the last time she had seen him which was the night of her opening, about two weeks ago. It made him look a bit older. He was wearing a pair of dark grey dress pants with a black button down, most likely being what he wore to work today. The outfit showed just how lean he was, occasionally showing off the tale tell signs of the muscles hidden underneath.

Miley was suddenly broken out of her thoughts by the sound of Nick's laugher coming from beside her, making her turn to her left and look at him like he was crazy. "What?"

'Nothing," he coughed, trying to his the fact that he had just been laughing. But knowing him all too well, Miley crossed her arms defiantly and narrowed her eyes at him. Sensing that she wasn't going to let the matter go, he cleared his throat nervously. "Aaron had mentioned something about taking you down to Virginia to introduce you to his parents."

"I'm going to murder Traci," Miley groaned, throwing her hands up in the air which only made Nick start laughing again. She sighed, rubbing at her temples. "I'm never dating again."

"Aww… it couldn't have been all that bad," Nick said out of consideration. Miley didn't even attempt to reply to him, opting to just stare at him like he was stupid. "Okay, so maybe it was that bad."

"Thank you," Miley said pointedly. Seeing that her cup had somehow become empty, she took Nick's bottle out of his hand and took a drink, smiling at him innocently. "Never go out on blind dates."

"Noted," he laughed, resting his now empty hands on top of the table. Turning to look at her, he smiled as he watched her. "Aside from this disastrous night, how has the rest of your week been?"

"It's been pretty good," she replied, turning to sit sideways so that she could face him. 'I've been pretty busy at the studio. I already have a handful of appointments lined up for the next few weeks."

"I have been meaning to stop by and see it up and running," he said, swiping his drink back from her when she had set it down on the table.

Taking a nice and long drink from it, Nick returned the same innocent smile she had given him when she had stolen it from him. She tried to come across angry but her mouth betrayed her and she broke out into a smile. "You should stop by whenever you have some time."

He nodded. "I will.'

Before they could say anything else, Joe and the rest of the group came back to the table. Joe passed Miley and Nick another drink before throwing his arm casually around Traci's shoulders. "Miley, your friends are awesome.!"

"Thanks Joe," Miley laughed. "I think they are pretty awesome myself."

"Joe, you and Nick should come and hang out with us more often," Lily suggested, catching Miley's eye. "Everyone has so much more fun with you two around."

"We might just have too," Joe agreed before turning back to Miley. "That reminds me Miley, mom wants to invite you and your dad over to the house for dinner Thursday."

"Oh, okay,' Miley replied. "I'll let my dad know."

"Cool," Joe replied before turning to talk to Oliver.

Seeing Miley staring off into space, Nick nudged her with his elbow. "You don't have to come to dinner if you don't feel up to it or if you're busy. Mom will understand."

"Oh no, it's okay," Miley replied, giving him a smile "I don't mind."

Nick returned her smile. "We'll see you Thursday then."

-xox-

"Don't be so nervous," Robby Ray said as he glanced over to his fidgeting daughter sitting in the passenger seat of the car. "They are great and you'll love them."

"No, I know." Miley smiled at her father, trying to convince him that she wasn't nervous at all. "It's just a little overwhelming, I haven't had a chance to meet their whole family."

"That's right, I forgot you had already met some of the sons," he said, getting a nod from her as confirmation. "You never told me how you met them."

"It's not that big of a deal," she shrugged, trying to keep what really happened from him. "I met one of the sons and we became friends."

"With Nick right?"

"Um yeah… with Nick," she replied. She was surprised he knew that piece of information. 'How did you know?"

"Well he asked about you a couple of times after you moved," Robby Ray told her, oblivious to their history. "I just figured that you two knew each other."

"Oh. Yeah, we hung out every now and then."

"Well that makes your decision to pass their family your shares make a lot more sense now," her father said. Miley just smiled at him in response, turning to look out the car window. "I think he may like you.'

"We're just friends dad," Miley said, rolling her eyes for good measure. Her dad just smirked at her, pulling the car into the driveway of the Jonas' home. "This is a pretty house."

"Denise likes to dabble in decorating," her father informed her, waiting for Miley to climb out of the car before walking with her to the front door.

"Hey Robby Ray," Joe greeted when he opened the door. They did one of those complicated handshake routines while Miley just stared at them like they had just sprouted a second head. Nick wasn't lying when he said they got along really well. Joe finally noticed Miley when her father walked into the house. "Hey Miley. Come on in to my parents' humble abode."

He made a grand gesture with his hands as Miley just rolled her eyes at him before cracking a smile. "Times are never boring around you, Joe.'

"Thanks," he smiled, closing the door behind her before guiding her into the living room, where the family was waiting. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"I'm sure you will," she laughed.

"So Miley, these are my parents," Joe said as they walked into the room, introducing her to his mom and dad. "This is my mom Denise and my dad Kevin Sr., or as we like to call him, Papa J."

"It's nice to finally meet you Mr. and Mrs. Jonas," Miley said sweetly. She was trying to make a good impression on them.

"It's nice to meet you too dear," Mrs. Jonas smiled, giving her one of those mother hugs. Miley had missed receiving those kind of hugs from her own mother and reveled in the older woman's arms.

Mr. Jonas was much more formal with her, opting to shake her hand instead. "I have been wanting to meet you so that I can properly thank you in person for helping my family."

"It was not a big deal at all sir," Miley blushed. "I just wanted to do something nice for your family."

"Well thank you all the same," Kevin Sr. said with a warm smile before engaging her father in conversation while Denise excused herself to the kitchen to finish preparing dinner.

"Alright well, you've already met Kevin," Joe said, pointing to the oldest Jonas who was sitting next to a beautiful brunette, who she deduced to be his girlfriend from the New Year's party over two years ago.

"Nice to see you again Miley,' Kevin said as he stood up from the couch to shake her hand, taking a moment to introduce her to the brunette. "This is my wife, Danielle."

"Hi," she said, shaking Danielle's hand before Joe guided her to their youngest brother.

"This little squirt is Frankie."

He shook her hand also, looking at her curiously. "You look really familiar."

Miley blushed, chuckling nervously while Joe and Kevin exchanged knowing smirks. Frankie on the other hand was still eyeing her curiously, trying to rack his brain for the reason why she looked so familiar. 'I get that a lot.'

"Nick's running a little late but he should get here for dinner," Joe said to change the subject, directing his little announcement more at Miley than his family. "So until then… how has Traci been? Has she said anything about me?"

"Sorry Joe," Miley apologized with a playful grin. "I can't tell you that kind of information. That would be in violation of the sacred girl code." Seeing his shoulders slump slightly and the dejected look on his face from her confession, Miley decided to throw him a bone. "But I can tell you that I don't think she would mind if you called her and ask her out on a date."

Joe's eyes lit up as he made a move to leave the room. "I'll be right back."

Miley laughed at him, shaking her head before excusing herself from the group to find the kitchen. "Mrs. Jonas?" she called out while pushing open the white wooden door. "Do you need help with dinner?"

"Oh no dear, you are the guest tonight," Mrs. Jonas said, declining her offer for help. "And please, call me Denise."

"Okay Denise," Miley smiled, walking all the way into the kitchen. "I really don't mind helping you with dinner."

"Alright then," Denise nodded, waving Miley over to approach the kitchen island. "Can you make the salad?" Miley nodded to say yes, picking up the head of lettuce and started tearing the leaves off. Denise observed the young woman, noticing how comfortable Miley seemed to be in the kitchen. "Do you cook, Miley?"

"Not really," Miley answered with a shrug as she washed and tore the lettuce into the bowl. "I use to help my mom in the kitchen but I haven't had a chance to cook now that it's just me and my dad."

"I'm sorry," Denise apologized. "I didn't mean to bring up such a sad topic."

"It's okay. It's in the past." Miley smiled at Denise, showing her that it really was okay. She went beck to finishing the salad, trying not to think of her mother. But it was difficult because Denise reminded Miley of her mother in so many ways. "I would love it if your family would come by the house for dinner one night. It would give me a chance to show off what little culinary skills I have."

"That would be wonderful," Demise replied as she went back to stirring the sauce. "Do you like Italian Miley?"

"I love Italian," Miley answered, setting the finished salad on the counter before walking over to stand beside the older lady. "I have to confess that I haven't been able to experience an authentic home-cooked Italian dinner though."

"Well then you're in for a treat tonight," a voice from the kitchen doorway said, startling both Mrs. Jonas and Miley.

'Nicholas Jerry Jonas," Denise cried out in that sort of motherly tone where you knew you were in big trouble. "How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me?"

"Sorry mom," Nick apologized with a sheepish grin. He gave Miley a smile and a nod of acknowledgment before walking over to give his mother a hug. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's okay as long as you're here now," she responded, giving him a motherly kiss on the cheek. She gave him a once-over, taking in his appearance before seeing the smile on his face. "Why are you so happy?"

"No reason," he grinned before leaning against the kitchen island. Making a move to swipe a piece of garlic bread, he immediately snatched his hand back when his mother smacked him on the arm. Giving her an innocent look, he glanced over at Miley when he heard her snickering, making her try to cover her giggles by clearing her throat guiltily. "You think that's funny?"

"No." She shook her head, still shaking from silent laughter. Nick had never came off as a momma's boy to her before and she found it hilarious, and slightly endearing. Not being able to keep it in anymore, she started giggling again, stopping when she saw the playful glint in his brown eyes. "Don't do it Nick."

"Do what?" he asked innocently. He picked up a dish towel from the counter, holding the corners in both hands as he started to twirl it in circles as he stalked towards Miley, both of them oblivious to the fact that his mother was watching them.

"Nick, no!" Miley exclaimed, seeking cover at Denise's side.

Denise just laughed at the two's antics. Stepping in front of Miley with her arms outstretched, she gave Nick a stern look. "Nick."

"Sorry mom," he apologized again, dropping the dish towel back on the counter. He glared at Miley for getting him in trouble with his mother while Miley stuck her tongue out at him over Denise's shoulder. "Cheater."

"Alright you two," Denise laughed, turning her back on them to finish placing the food onto plates. "Nick, why don't you take the dishes out to the dining table and tell everyone dinner is ready." Nick begrudgingly obliged to his mom's directions, scowling at Miley one last time before leaving the kitchen. "You need to come around more often Miley," Denise said when the kitchen door swung close. "Nick seems so much more alive around you."

Miley blushed. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with me."

"Trust me Miley, I know my son," Denise grinned, raising a knowing eyebrow at her. "It was you who made him happy two years ago and it is you who makes him happy even today."

Miley's eyes widened when she mentioned two years ago. "He told you?"

"No," Denise responded with a chuckle, making Miley furrow her eyebrows in confusion. "Like I said, I know my son." She passed Miley the salad bowl, picking up the bowl of spaghetti before walking to the dining room, Miley following after her in a daze. "Dinner is served."

"Hey, you okay?" Nick asked when he saw her glazed look, taking the salad from her to place on the table. Shaking her head slightly to clear her head, she nodded, smiling at him when he pulled her chair out for her before taking the seat next to her. "Thanks for coming tonight."

"I'm glad I did," she smiled.

Breaking eye-contact with each other when Mr. Jonas started prayer, they bowed their heads before joining hands. Smiling to herself, Miley squeezed his hand with all the strength she had in her before he flexed his fingers and squeezed her hand with twice the force she had used. It was something they use to do all the time when they held hands. Dropping each others hands when prayer was over, Nick grabbed Miley's plate, taking it into his own hands to serve her.

"Thank you," Miley said, smiling sweetly at him when he placed her plate down before her.

"You two are going to make me hurl," Joe announced, making Kevin and Frankie start snickering behind their hands. On the other side of the table Miley blushed with embarrassment while Nick glared at his brother.

"Joe if you were more like your brother than maybe you could find yourself a girlfriend," their father said in Nick and Miley's defense, making Kevin and Frankie burst out into full on laughter. Even Robby Ray and Nick started chuckling, the girls fighting back their own smiles while Joe scowled in his seat.

"Alright… settle down and eat your dinner," Denise said in her motherly tone, making everyone fall silent. She smiled with accomplishment, glancing over at a still blushing Miley. "How did you like Los Angeles Miley?"

Hearing her name, she looked up from the food on her plate to see everyone looking at her. "Oh.. Um.. It was great. I loved L.A., but I missed home more."

"Your father here missed you as well," Mr. Jonas said, clapping a hand on her father's back. "He talked about you quite a bit."

"Dad…" Miley groaned out of embarrassment.

"It wasn't anything embarrassing," Robby Ray promised. "Can't a proud father talk about his only daughter?"

"It really wasn't anything embarrassing," Denise said to reassure Miley, and somehow it did. "If anything, it made us feel like we know you even better."

They finished their dinner by asking Miley questions about her time in Los Angeles, and even about how she and Nick came to know each other which they both stumbled over answering. But for the most part they stayed away from embarrassing topics, for which Miley was grateful for. Towards the end of dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Jonas started telling embarrassing stories about the boys which Miley and Danielle seemed to enjoy. The guys… not so much. After dinner, the parental units retreated to the living room while the four boys cleared the tables, letting the two ladies relax on the back porch.

"So…" Danielle said out of nowhere once they were both settled into the chairs. "You're Destiny right?" Miley sucked in a breath at the mention of Destiny, coughing slightly. "I know we weren't formally introduced at that New Year's party a couple years ago, but I recognized you. Although you're hair was a little darker then."

Miley smiled weakly. "Uh… yeah. That was me." There was no point in keeping it from her now. "I think you're the only one that noticed."

Danielle laughed. "Boys… they're dense sometimes."

"Yeah…" Miley agreed with her own laugh.

"So I take it Nick didn't know you were _the_ Miley Stewart when he first met you," Danielle said. Miley was a little in awe with how she could come up with the truth all on her own.

"I thought he was joking so I told him my name was Destiny and he never corrected me." Miley told her. "So I let him believe that. I should have told him the truth, but I found it refreshing meeting someone who didn't know who I was. Plus our families weren't exactly best friends then."

"I find that very romantic in a way," Danielle smiled. "Very _Romeo and Juliet,_ with the whole feuding families aspect."

"Thankfully none of us ended up dying over it," Miley joked right when the guys made their way out onto the back porch to join them.

"Who wants ice cream?" Frankie asked as the guys interrupted the girl talk.

"And who's dying over what?" Joe asked, dropping down into a chair across from Miley while Kevin sat on the arm of Danielle's chair and Frankie sat on the hammock.

"No one," Danielle answered, giving Kevin a quick kiss.

"Here you go," Nick said, handing Miley a bowl as he sat down on the chair next to her. "Just the way you like it."

Miley smiled, taking the bowl from him. "Vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate syrup and-"

"And crushed unsalted peanuts with just a squirt of whip cream," Nick finished for her.

Joe started making gagging noises, earning a smack on the back of his head from Danielle. "I think you two are beyond adorable together."

"We're just friends," both Nick and Miley said at the same time.

"Okay… well I didn't exactly mean together in the going out sense," Danielle said with a smirk. "But either way, you two are still adorable… even as just friends."

"So anyways," Kevin piped-in, trying to change the subject when he saw how uncomfortable the two looked. "Do you have any interesting clients you are working with Miley?"

"Not really," she shrugged, taking a bit of her ice cream. "I have a shoot with Chace Crawford on Tuesday and one with Megan Fox in a couple of weeks."

"Megan Fox!" both Joe and Frankie exclaimed at the same time.

"Megan Fox? The Megan Fox?" Joe asked while Miley kept eating her ice cream like it was no big deal. "As in the smoking hot actress Megan Fox?"

"Yes, the smocking hot actress Megan Fox," Miley laughed. "Although I don't know what people find so attractive about her."

"Are you kidding me?" Frankie said in disbelief. "I swear Transformers only did good in the box office because guys went to watch her."

Joe nodded his agreement. Miley just laughed at them. "Your face looks strangely familiar to Traci's when I told her about Chace Crawford."

Hearing Traci's name was all it took for Joe to forget all about Megan Fox. "I forgot to tell you that Traci and I are going out on a date next Friday."

"She actually said yes?" Frankie joked.

"I can be charming when I want to be," Joe snapped, defending himself. "But what can I do to make sure she will like me?"

Miley laughed at how desperate he becomes when it came to Traci. But seeing the desperation shining in his eyes, she decided to go ahead and help him. "She doesn't like flowers so don't get her any, instead go for chocolate. But don't get her any until at least the third date or she'll think you're trying to hard to impress her. She likes fun, nontraditional dates like indoor rock climbing or going to watch a Yankees game."

"She sounds like the perfect girl for Joe," Nick commented, taking Miley's empty bowl from her to set on a nearby table.

Miley turned away from Joe to smile at him to say thank you before turning back to his family. Nick stayed quiet, instead enjoying watching her interact with his brothers and sister-in-law. She fit in so easily with them and seemed comfortable. Just like how she seemed comfortable helping his mother in the kitchen. He liked it.

* * *

**Sorry it has taken me longer than the promised two weeks to update... having my nieces here is driving me crazy! But better late than never I always say. Their relationship is getting better... and closer. So I don't think it will take much longer for them to realize they are perfect together... too bad that can't happen in real life. sigh...**

**But yes... leave me a review and tell me what you think on the story or anything. Stuff that has happened... Joe and Camilla, Miley and Justin, Niley or the absence of Niley actually... my head hurts just thinking about all that stuff... lol I guess we won't know anything until the TCA's happen... (please let there be niley moments... please let there be niley moments)**


	13. important an

Hey guys!

I just wanted to take some time and touch base with my faithful readers.

As we all know... It's that time of year where school is starting back up and my first day is Monday.

Therefore, I will be back in New Orleans for school and not at home anymore.

Which also means that I no longer have access to a computer 24/7 since my laptop had died and gone to electronic heaven.

Soooooo..... that means that I won't be updating anytime soon.

I will probably be getting a new laptop (a shiny new macbook if I get my wish) in October at the earliest.

The earliest I would look for an update for this story would be around Thanksgiving... if I'm not busy studying for the pcats and dealing with real life that is.

There aren't many chapters left of this story... I haven't exactly mapped out the rest of the story but I would say no more than 5 are left at this moment in time.

I know that Thanksgiving is in 3 months... but it really can't be helped.

I will try to keep handwriting my updates at any spare time I can find so that I will be ready to go when I get my hands on that macbook that is currently sitting at the Apple store waiting for me.

So until then... I'm sorry! =)

On the other hand... I went to my first Jonas Brothers concert last Saturday.

It was an experience... and I'm glad I went.

Although, I think I might like Honor Society more than Jonas right now.

*shrugs*

It can't be helped I guess.

I wish I could go to the Miley concert in October but unfortunately it's already sold out and it's on a Tuesday night.

But yes... that's about all there is.

Sorry again guys that this is the way it has to be...

Trust me... I'm not all that happy about it either.

But I will be finishing this story even if it kills me!

So until then... hope you all have a good first day of school!

And I will be back in no time!


	14. Chapter 12

**Hello guys! I'm back (at least for now) with a mini update. I haven't really had time to write much, so this chapter is not as long as usual. But at least it's something. I don't know how it is… because I've been working on and off on this one since the summer so it could suck for all I know. But I did promise you guys that I would update around Thanksgiving time… and Thanksgiving was yesterday. So here is an update!**

**Now… I don't know when I'll be back with an update. Finals are starting on Monday and my last day of school will be Dec. 9th so it might be soon. We'll just have to see. I'm working this year so I don't have much spare time to write but I will try my best.**

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**Chapter 12**

"Okay sweeties, hold still and smile real big for me," Miley instructed the two children as she looked through the viewfinder of her camera, quickly adjusting the zoom and making sure it was focused while the parents stood behind her. "Alright, on three. One… two… three…" The flash went off as she snapped multiple shots of the smiling twins. "Very good. How about we change the pose?"

She was in the middle of moving them around when the intercom buzzed. "Miley?"

Apologizing to the family for the interruption, she placed the camera on a table and turned down the music before walking over to the intercom. "Yeah, Jess?"

"There is a Nick Jonas here to see you," Jessica informed her. "Do you want me to send him up when you're done with your session?"

"It's alright Jess," Miley replied, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "Show him up to studio two, please."

Leaving the intercom, Miley increased the volume of the music before picking up her camera and returning to the family. Stooping down to get eye level with the little girls, she tapped a finger on both of their noses.

"You guys ready to smile big for me again?" she asked them, getting bright smiles and nods in return. "Look at me okay?" Miley smiled from behind her camera, taking a few shots of the girls. "Very pretty," she praised, pulling out two lollipops to reward the kids before turning to the parents. "We'll let them rest a little and then take the last set of pictures."

She stood talking to the parents and watching the girls, turning to see Nick standing at the door when she heard knocking. Waving him to walk inside, she excused herself before walking towards him. "Hey," she greeted with a smile, giving him a friendly hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to visit," he told her, nervously running a hand through his hair. "I probably should have called first though."

"No, it's okay. You are welcome to stop by anytime," she assured him before feeling a tugging motion on her jeans, looking down to see one of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed twins. Smiling at the five year old, Miley bent over to pick her up. "Do you need something Maddie?"

"Can I have another lolli?" the little girl asked innocently, holding up the now empty white stick of her first lollipop for Miley to see.

"If you smile really pretty for all the pictures, I'll let you have two," Miley said, making Maddie's eyes sparkle with anticipation.

Laughing at how easy it is to please little girls, Miley took Nick's hand in hers and returned to the backdrop. Letting Maddie down next to her sister, Miley introduced Nick to the parents, chuckling when she overheard Maddie telling her sister about the promised lollipops. Picking up her camera, she let them play and laugh on their own as she snapped away. Candid photos always came out better then the posed photos, in her opinion. Towards the end she even told the parents to join them on the floor for a couple of frames until she was satisfied that she had taken enough before announcing that they were done. The couple started packing up their things while Nick helped Miley pick up the studio, talking about their week before being interrupted by the twins.

"I smiled really big," Maddied exclaimed. "Can I have the lollipops now?"

"Can I get lollis too?" her twin sister, Chloe asked. "Please?"

Miley smiled, getting down on her knees. "Can I get a kiss first?" she asked, turning her cheek to them. They each planted a big, wet kiss on her before going back to asking her for the candy. "Okay," Miley laughed, looking up at Nick. "Can you get them some candy? It's in the cabinet behind you."

Hearing that Nick was the one that had the candy, the girls abandoned Miley on the ground and ran over to Nick. "See, it's not just Abbie that likes me better," he teased while she just stuck her tongue out at him.

"I feel so cheap," Miley pouted. "The promise of candy and they go running from me."

Nick laughed at her before turning back to the twins. Smiling, Miley pushed herself up onto her feet and watched him interact with the girls. She found it cute how good he was with kids, first Abbie and now twins that he didn't even know. Seeing a picture opportunity, Miley took a few shots of Nick and the girls without their knowledge. She didn't have to see the proofs to know that these would be her favorite shots of the day.

"Girls!" their mother called. "Tell Mr. Nick and Miss Miley thank you for the candy and let's go home."

"Thank you," the twins chorused, each of their hands clutching a lollipop as they skipped to their father's side.

Miley smiled, walking over to the family. "I'll see you back in three days to look over the prints."

The family thanks Miley one last time before going on their way, leaving her alone with Nick who had taken it upon himself to lend her a hand by tidying up the studio. She smiled to herself before walking over to help him pick up the remaining props laying around.

"I got it," Nick said, taking the plastic white bench from her.

"Thanks," Miley said, walking over to the table to pick up her camera. She turned back to face Nick just as he walked up to her. "I think this is the cleanest the studio has ever been since I opened."

Nick laughed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "So…"

"So?" Miley asked, quirking an eyebrow at him as she headed towards the door, casting a glance over her shoulder to make sure he was following. Walking to her office, she set the camera down on her desk before sitting down in her chair. "Have something on your mind Nick?"

"Not really," he shrugged, looking like a little kid who had just gotten in trouble with his hands still in his pocket and his attention trained onto the floor in front of him. "I had originally stopped by to see if you wanted to have lunch."

"Lunch?" Miley said out of surprise.

"You're probably busy though," Nick said quickly, mistaking her surprise for hesitation. "I'm such an idiot. I really should have called instead of dropping by. I mean, you have a business to run and I just traipse in here like you would drop everything you were doing for me."

"No, no… it's okay," Miley reassured him, grinning at the sight of him all flustered. Getting up from her seat, she walked around her desk to grab her purse before turning to give him a warm smile. "So where are you taking me to lunch?"

"Are you sure?" he asked. "It's okay if you're busy. I understand."

"Well then if you don't want to go to lunch with me," she shrugged, making a move to place her purse back onto the couch. "Maybe I can get Jess to go pick up lunch at the deli on the corner."

"No," Nick cried out before turning slightly pink out of embarrassment. Coughing nervously, he rubbed at the back of his neck, looking at her sheepishly. "I mean… if you were going to have lunch anyways… than maybe we can go try out the new steakhouse that just opened."

"Well if you insist," she grinned.

Nick smiled, shaking his head at her as he walked to the door. "You are such a pain in the ass sometimes."

Miley laughed, following him out. "Yeah I am," she agreed, making him chuckle as they walked downstairs. "But you have to admit, I can always put a smile on your face."

"Yes you can," he smiled, his eyes sparkling and full of warmth as he watched he looked down at her.

Averting his gaze, she caught Jessica's attention before stopping at her desk while Nick went to wait by the door. "Hey, I'm going to be out for the rest of the day so you can go ahead and close up the studio." Getting a nod in response, Miley was about to leave before turning back to Jess. "Actually, can you do me a favor and print out the last few shots from today before you leave?"

"Sure," Jessica said, standing up behind her desk.

"Thanks," Miley replied. "The camera is sitting on my desk and you can just leave the prints in my office."

"Alright," Jessica nodded, looking pointedly between Nick and Miley. Seeing the unspoken question in her eyes, Miley shook her head and mouthed "just friends," receiving a sigh in return.

Miley just stuck her tongue out at her before walking over to Nick who was holding the door open for her. Peering up at him, she grinned before slipping on her sunglasses. "Ready to go?"

"Yep," he said, popping the p.

"Have fun you two," Jessica called after them, getting a polite smile from Nick and a wave from Miley.

"So where to?" Miley asked once they were on the sidewalk.

My car is over here," Nick said, placing his hand on the small of her back to guide her along.

-xox-

The pair spent lunch sitting across from each other in a fairly private corner of the restaurant, talking the whole two hours about everything yet absolutely nothing at the same time. From an outsider's view, they seemed like two long lost friends making up for lost times, but in reality they had just seen each other a few days before. They were just the type of friends who always had something to talk about with each other, no matter how much they spent time together.

"So when is your next show?" Miley asked as she swiped a bite of Nick's cheesecake with no remorse.

Nick shook his head at her while she just grinned back at him. Taking one last bite, he pushed the remaining half of his dessert to her so she could finish it off. He was amazed she could still eat after eating a salad, a decent sized steak with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables, and her own piece of cheesecake.

"We have one coming up next Friday," he told her, signaling their waiter for the check. "You should come."

She nodded, polishing off the rest of Nick's dessert. "Sure, I'd love to come watch you in your element."

He smiled. "You can bring Traci and everyone. I bet Joe would love that."

"I bet he would." Miley laughed, finishing off the last of her wine just as the waiter came around with their check.

"Alright, I'll leave you're name at the door so you won't have to wait in line," he said as he successfully grabbed for the check, placing his credit card in the black folder, and setting it on the corner of the table with a victorious grin.

"Just for that I'm not coming anymore," Miley said defiantly, her wallet still in her hands. She hated when people paid for her when she was perfectly capable of paying for her food herself.

"Can't you just, this once, humor me and not get all pissy about me paying for your lunch?" Nick grinned, knowing her all too well.

"No." She knew she sounded like a spoiled-rotten seven year-old, but she simply didn't care.

Nick shook his head at her, telling the waiter thanks when he came to pick up their check. "You're not even going to say thank you?"

She huffed, crossing her arms across her chest for good measure. "Thank you."

"Come on Miley, don't make me have to tickle it out of you."

Miley's eyes widened at his threat. He was playing dirty. He knew she was extremely ticklish. "I'm kidding. Thank you for lunch and I'll be at the concert!"

"That's more like it," Nick smirked. Miley rolled her eyes at him, slapping him playfully on the arm just as the waiter returned with their receipt for him to sign which she resumed pouting as he did. "What now?" he asked as they walked out of the restaurant. "Do you have somewhere you need to be?"

"Um… not really," she replied as she slipped her sunglasses on. "I was going to go location scouting at City Park if you want to come with me."

"If you don't mind me tagging along."

"I wouldn't have offered if I mind, Nick." She replied, pulling on his arm to get him to walk towards his car. "Do you mind if we stop by my place though? I wanted to change into something more comfortable than this dress."

"I do mind actually," he teased, earning him another slap on the arm from her. Feigning pain, he grabbed his arm where she slapped him. "I'm starting to think that you have violent tendencies there, Miss Stewart."

"Only around you, Mr. Jonas," she replied with a smirk, climbing into the car after he opened the door for her. Nick chuckled, shaking his head as he closed her door before rounding the front of the car and climbing into the driver's seat. Somehow he knew today was going to be a good day.

-xox-

Lily glanced over at Miley, wondering why she had suddenly gotten so quiet. But one look at the huge grin that had spread onto Miley's face as she typed away on her blackberry gave her the answer she was looking for. Nudging Tracy with her elbow, Lily tilted her head slightly to the right with a knowing look to indicate for Tracy to look over at Miley. Following in the direction Lily gestured too, Tracy turned back to look at Lily with her own grin.

"Who's got you smiling like that?" Lily asked, startling Miley.

Dropping her blackberry into her lap, Miley looked over at her friends with an innocent look on her face. "What are you talking about?"

"Well considering that we're here with you, it can't be one of us who is texting you," Traci pointed out. "And it can't be work because you wouldn't be smiling like big. So who do you think it could be, Lily?"

Miley rolled her eyes dramatically at her friends' antics before getting up from her seat and putting her shoes back on after making sure her freshly pedicured toes were dry. "You guys are being absurd."

"Would I be hot or cold if I guessed Nick Jonas?" Lily asked nonchalantly.

Getting caught of guard by Lily's blatant question, Miley's hand slightly faltered as she handed the lady a tip. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Lily and Tracy exchanged knowing smirks before following Miley out of the nail salon and to the car. "I'm just saying that you have spent a lot of time with him this past week while it was hard for me and Tracy to schedule girl time with you," Lily stated as they climbed into the SUV.

"I don't know what you guys want me to say," Miley replied as she pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards home. "Nick and I are just friends."

"Trust me Miley," Tracy said from the backseat. "It's hard to be _just_ friends with a guy you were never really over in the first place. I know from experience."

"I agree," Lily added in.

"Well we're different," Miley argued, trying to come off convincing.

The truth was, she didn't really know what was going on between her and Nick. Most of the time she really did believe they were just friends, but then there were moments that were a little too intimate to be considered 'just friends'. Not wanting to make herself believe that they were on the road to become more than friends, she made herself believe that it was just natural for them to act like more than friends after all the time they spent together.

"Are you telling me that with all the time you spend with him, you haven't started liking him again?" Lily asked, looking over at Miley. Biting her lower lip out nervousness, Miley shook her head. Lily just stared at her. "Miley…"

Pulling into her driveway, Miley let out a sigh. "Maybe just a little bit. "

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**So guys… it's getting there. Slowly but surely… it is getting there. Now remember this update was cut short. Next one will be full length and a little more fulfilling. I already have the rest of the story pretty much planned out, I just need to sit down and write it. But until then… I hope you guys don't mind waiting just a little bit longer for me to finish this story.**


	15. Chapter 13

**So to celebrate the New Orleans Saints going to the SUPERBOWL!!!! I decided to work on my writing so I could update. I know it's been a long time and I'm so sorry you guys! But real life is kicking me in the butt and school comes first! This is the year I have to finally figure out exactly what I want to do with my life so it's a crucial one. Hopefully I'll be able to finish this story as soon as possible and stop making you guys wait... but no promises. You guys know I apparently can't keep those... lol**

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**Chapter 13**

"Girls! Are you guys ready to go?" Oliver asked through the door that separated Miley's sitting room and her bedroom. He looked down at his watch, letting out another sigh before walking back to the same spot on the couch he had been sitting at for the past hour. "We're gonna be late if we don't leave in the next ten minutes!"

Exactly eight minutes later, the door opened and out walked Lily, Tracy, and Miley. Each of them were dressed in casual black dresses. You could never go wrong with a little black dress. "We're ready."

"Finally," Oliver mumbled, getting up from the couch. He practically pushed the girls out the door and down the stairs to prevent them from spending another minute in the room. Piling into his car, they headed out to the club Nick was going to be playing at.

"So Joe's gonna meet us at the place?" Lily asked, looking pointedly at Tracy who was blushing at the mention of his name.

Miley smirked. "Yeah, he's already there with the rest of Nick's family. He said to let him know when we get there and he'll come out to meet us."

"You know," Miley said innocently, nudging Tracy with her elbow. "You might as well tell us you two are going out. It really isn't that hard to figure out."

"We're not," Tracy answered quickly. "We're just… hanging out right now."

"Right…" Lily drawled before her and Miley broke into a fit of giggles while Oliver just shook his head, focusing his attention on the road. He really needed to invest into getting himself some guy friends.

Poor Tracey was still blushing.

"We're just messing with you Trace," Miley said once she realized just how embarrassed Tracy was. "Joe's a really good guy. I'm glad you and him get along so well, even if you two are just friends. He's like the big brother I never had and sometimes he's the little brother I never had."

At that, the entire car burst into laughter just as they stopped in front of the club at the valet stand. They climbed out of the car, seeing Joe walk out of the door just as Mitchel handed the keys to the valet.

"Speak of the devil," Miley said as she gave Joe a hug, earning herself giggles from Lily and Tracey.

"I hope that means you guys were talking only good things about me," Joe replied, returning her bear hug.

"Always," Miley smirked before Joe let her go to hug the others, Tracey a little longer than the rest.

"The others are inside already," he told them before leading them inside and to the table his family were sitting at. "Guess who the cat dragged in."

Miley smacked him on the arm before turning to say hello to his family, giving each one of them a hug. She hasn't seen them since the dinner and frankly, she missed them. They reminded her of the family she always wanted, not that she didn't love her own family, but they were like the perfect family.

"How are you sweetie?" Denise asked, giving Miley a warm hug and kiss on the cheek.

"I'm doing great," Miley answered, returning her hug. It must have been the fact that Denise was a mother, but for some reason her hugs always felt warm and loving to Miley. It reminded her of her mother. "How are you?"

"I've never been better," she answered before not so subtly leading Miley towards a door on the side of the stage. "Nick's in the back and I know he'd love to see you before he went on stage."

"Oh… um, sure," she replied slightly confused. Watching Denise walk back to the table, Miley looked back and forth from their table to the door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked lightly on the door before turning the doorknob and peeking her head inside, seeing the rest of Nick's band sitting in various positions on the couches. "Hey guys." Waving their hands to tell her to come inside, she closed the door behind her. "I just wanted to come tell Nick good luck before the show."

"He's in the room over there," the drummer informed her, pointing to a door on the right. Miley smiled in thanks before walking towards it and rapping her knuckles gently on the wood.

-xox-

"We wanted to let you know that we were interested in the band," the man said, leaving Nick speechless for a moment. "If I like what I see tonight, you may be on your way to LA by the end of the month."

"I don't know what to say," Nick replied, still slightly stunned.

"I know it's a lot to take in," he laughed, patting Nick on the back. "And now that I think about it, I probably shouldn't have told you right before you were due on stage."

"N-no, I'm glad you did," Nick said with a shake of the head.

Both men turned towards the door when they heard faint knocking sounds just as Miley opened the door. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," she blushed in embarrassment before going to close the door and leave them be.

"It's quite alright," the man said quickly, stopping Miley from leaving. "We were just about done."

"Are you sure?" Miley asked. "I can come back later."

"It's fine dear," he smiled, waving her in.

Biting her lip, Miley hesitantly stepped into the room before closing the door behind her. Nick gave her a reassuring smile before jerking his head in a manner that told her to come closer. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before walking over to his side. Still smiling, Nick slipped his arm around her waist before turning back to the man in the suit. It was intimate in a way that suggested they were more than friends, but both were oblivious to the fact. It felt normal to them.

"Miley, this is Mr. Johnson. Mr. Johnson, this is my friend Miley," Nick said, introducing the two.

"Hi," Miley smiled shyly.

"Hello," Mr. Johnson said in return, giving Miley a warm smile. He reminded her of her father in a way. "Well, I should let you get ready to perform."

Nick nodded, grasping the man's hand in his own to say goodbye. "Thanks again Mr. Johnson."

"No problem," he smiled. "Just give it all you got tonight and you'll do fine."

Nick smiled back. "I will."

"It was nice meeting you Miley," he said, turning to her. She nodded, watching as he gave them one last wave before disappearing through the door.

"So what was that about?" she asked, turning towards him once she heard the click of the door closing.

"He's a rep from a record label," Nick replied, still completely dazed.

"Nick," Miley squealed, throwing her hands around his neck and pulling him into a hug. "That's incredible! Does this mean you're going to make it in the big leagues and leave us small towners behind?"

Nick chuckled, dipping his head down to breathe in her scent. "Well we haven't gotten signed just yet." Pulling back, Miley gave him a puzzled look. "Mr. Johnson just wanted to let me know that the label was interested in the band. Tonight's performance will decide whether or not we will be given the chance to meet the head of the label."

"Still, this is big news Nick," Miley said with a big smile, making it impossible for Nick not to smile along. Not able to resist, she pulled him in for another hug, squeezing him as hard as she could to let him know just how excited she was for him and the rest of the band. "Are you going to let the rest of the band know?"

"Yeah," Nick replied, pulling himself away from her embrace. "I should probably do that now."

She could hear the worry in his voice, knowing that he was beginning to go into business Nick mode. Not wanting him to over think this and just have fun on the stage like he usually does, she gave him a lingering kiss on the check, catching him off guard. "You're gonna do great tonight. Don't stress over it like I know you are right now."

Nick smiled, still feeling her lips on his skin. "Am I that obvious?"

"Just to me," she replied.

Interlacing her hand into his, she led him through the door and into the room the rest of the band was waiting in. Giving him one last hug, she wished good luck to the rest of the guys before slipping through the door and back out into the club to join the rest of her group at the table. Sitting in the booth, she half listened to the conversations going on around her; her mind was off in another world worrying about Nick and how the label rep would like the band. This was his chance to go after his dream and she couldn't help but stress over it a little, even though she had just told him not too.

She was broken out of her reverie when the lights in the room dimmed and the crowd erupted into applause. Looking up, she saw the band take the stage and Nick walk up to the center. "How's everyone doing tonight?" he said into the mic in which the crowd responded with even louder screams. "Alright," he laughed. "Well we're 'The Administration' and if it's okay with you guys we would love to play some songs."

Miley watched as Nick performed. It was like he was a whole different person when he was up there under the lights with his guitar in hand and screaming fans in front of him. The way he interacted with the crowd, it was different from the way he was in everyday normal life. He was less shy and more outgoing. He looked happy. That one thought alone made Miley smile as she swayed along to the music, every now and then catching a wink or smile from Nick when he looked to their section.

"He's amazing, isn't he?"

Looking to her right, Miley nodded at Denise. "He is."

"He has you to thank for all of this," she said, wrapping an arm around Miley's shoulder.

"I wouldn't say that," Miley replied with a shake of her head. Glancing over at her friends, she smiled when she saw each of them wrapped around their significant others.

"It's true though," Denise pressed on. "He never would have gotten here unless you pushed him to do it."

Miley blushed at her words, biting on her lower lip. "I just showed him that it was okay to go after your dreams."

Denise smiled, pulling Miley into a hug. "And for that, I am thankful you are in his life."

"I'm just glad he let me back into his life."

"You never left," Denise replied, nudging her to turn her attention back to the stage.

Miley looked at Denise a little longer, unsure of what she meant with her last words before turning back to Nick who was still holding the crowds attention. Glancing around, she tried to spot the label rep from earlier to see how he was enjoying the show but had no luck. Turning her attention back towards the stage, she was able to catch the ending of the song. As he strummed the last chord, the crowd erupted into cheers. They were so enthusiastic and it made Miley beam with pride for Nick.

"Thank you," Nick spoke into the mic as the crowd's cheers died down in volume. "It's been a pleasure for me and my band to play for you guys, and unfortunately it's the end of the night." The crowed 'awwed' at his announcement. "But I wanted to take this time to say some thank yous. Of course you guys deserve a very big thank you for showing up and supporting us. Next I would like to thank my family and especially my parents for cheering me on." Miley shrunk into the shadows as the spotlight moved to shine onto Nick's family as the crowd clapped their hands. "Although the biggest thank you has to go to the girl who thinks she can hide behind my brother," Nick laughed as Joe moved over so the light was radiating on her, causing the crowd to gasp in surprise that Miley Stewart was there before camera flashes started going off. Miley smiled shyly, blushing a faint pink and offering a wave before slipping behind Joe again. "She is the reason I am on this stage tonight, so I would like to dedicate this last song of the night to her."

Peeking over Joe's shoulder, Miley caught Nick's eye, mouthing 'I'm gonna kill you' to him which only made him smile wider. He playfully blew her a kiss, in which she answered by rolling her eyes at him. He chuckled, strumming the opening chords to the song. Settling down, Miley focused on the song and the way Nick got lost in the music. He was truly a musician.

"Hey Mi," Tracy called, nudging her softly.

"Huh," Miley replied, snapping out of her daze. Looking up, she was surprised to see Nick and the band walking off the stage.

"Where'd you go?"

Shaking the cloudiness away, Miley turned back to her friends. "Sorry, I guess I got lost for a second.

"We're gonna go wait for Nick by the bar and have a drink or two," Joe said, throwing an arm around a smiling Tracy. "You wanna join us?"

"Um, yeah sure," Miley replied, her eyes flickering around the room to try to catch a glimpse of either Nick or the label rep. Not seeing either one, she tried to not let the anxiety set in as she followed the others to the bar.

"What do you want to drink?"

"Just a coke for me, thanks," Miley answered.

She settled onto one of the free stools next to Lily, her back leaning against the bar as her eyes roamed across the room. Looking up when she felt something cold touch her arm, she met Joe's smirking eyes as she thanked him for the drink before going back to people watching. Every so often she would hear the whisperings of whether or not Miley Stewart and Nick Jonas were dating, the whisperer then going into full detail on why they would make a better match for Nick Jonas than herself. Laughing to herself, she could only imagine how much worse it would get if Nick and the band got the record deal.

"Hey Mi," she heard, feeling a nudge on her arm. Looking up, she saw Tracy pointing off to the right. "Your boy is out."

Rolling her eyes, Miley playfully smacked Tracy on the arm before turning her attention to the vicinity that she pointed too. "He's not my boy."

-xox-

The minutes following the last song he just performed, Nick was on a high from the adrenaline and the screams from the crowd. But after this performance, he just wanted to join his family and friends… and Miley. Returning backstage, he quickly toweled off as much of the sweat that had collected on his skin before gulping down a whole bottle of water.

"Good show tonight guys," Nick told the band, giving each member a pat on the back to show his gratitude. "We gave it all we could so let's go celebrate a job well done."

Leading the gang back out into the main room, Nick searched the room for his family and friends, seeing them hanging out by the bar. Keeping his eyes on them, he weaved through the crowd, watching as Tracy nudged Miley in the side and pointed towards him. He saw her playfully push Tracy back before looking towards him with a smile on her face, making him break into one himself. Waving at her, he took a couple of steps before feeling a tap on his shoulder.

"Mr. Jonas."

Spinning around, he turned to see Mr. Johnson.

"Do you have a moment to talk?"

"Of course," Nick answered, trying his best to mask the nervousness from his voice.

Wanting to talk in a more private place, Nick followed Mr. Johnson back to his booth. Glancing over his shoulder before taking a seat, he saw his band members watching him and Miley biting on her lower lip anxiously. Catching his eye, she promptly sat up straight and smiled encouragingly at him. Feeling a bit calmer, he smiled back at her before sliding into the booth to await the fate of the band.

"That was quite a show you and the band gave tonight," Mr. Johnson commented, making Nick relax significantly. He had a feeling this would be good. "You have seemed to capture the hearts of your audience and I see you are well supported by family and friends."

"They are the only reason I'm here today," Nick responded truthfully.

"And the girl?"

Nick swallowed, clearing his throat. "She's been a big support system."

"Just a support system?"

"Just a support system," he answered, glancing back towards the bar once again. "She's been really helpful and a great friend."

"Well I wouldn't let her slip from you fingers then," Mr. Johnson smiled, a knowing look reflecting in his eyes. "You will need all the support you can get when 'The Administration' comes to Los Angeles for a meeting with the record label."

Nick froze in his seat, his thoughts running around in chaos. His mind probably looked like a warzone right now. "Los Angeles?"

Mr. Johnson laughed. He's seen this type of reaction so many times before. "We'd like for you to come meet the president of the label and have some studio time to record a demo."

"Demo?" Nick squeaked, slightly stunned.

"I can see you'll need some time to digest this information," he chuckled, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. Placing a twenty on the table, he pulled out a business card and handed it to Nick. "Do me a favor, celebrate tonight and call me on Monday. We can talk logistics then."

"Uhh…" Nick stuttered, taking the card from his hand. "Thank you."

Shaking his hand, Nick watched him leave. He sat in the seat, staring blankly at the table in front of him, replaying the last ten minutes in his mind. Seeing shadows fall across the table, he looked up to see his band staring anxiously at him.

"We're going to L.A. guys."

-xox-

"Miley, will you stop bouncing around. You are starting to make me nervous," Lily said, placing her hand on Miley's knee. She had been staring at the table Nick was sitting at and doing everything from biting her lip to pulling at her hair. She was starting to make everyone antsy.

"I can't help it," Miley answered, taking her eyes away from Nick and the label rep to look at her friend. "I'm nervous for him."

"I'm sure the guy is having him sign a contract already."

"Oh my god!" Miley freaked, her eyes wide. "I hope not. He can't just sign the first contract he's given."

"Miles," Lily sighed, placing her hands on her deranged friend's shoulders. "I was just kidding. Will you just calm down for a minute and take a breath."

"Sorry," Miley apologized, breathing in deeply. Looking back at Nick's table, all she saw were the members of the band gathered around, blocking her view of Nick. She couldn't help but get antsy again.

Lily sighed. "Hey Mi?"

"Yeah."

"Why don't you go over there and see what's happening," Lily suggested. "You know, before your hair start turning grey and everything."

"Hey!" Miley cried out, nudging Lily. "I can't help it that I worry easily."

"I know and that's why I love you oh so much," Lily said sweetly, smiling at her friend. "Now go over there before I burst from anxiety."

"I don't know," Miley said, starting to bite her lip again.

"You're killing me Miles."

"Alright, alright," Miley said. "I'll go."

"Thank god."

"You're not funny," Miley smiled, getting up from her seat.

Looking up, she saw Nick slide out from the table at the same time. Debating on whether or not she should wait for him to come to her, she got her answer when he smiled at her; a big, warm smile that melted her heart. Weaving through the crowd, they worked their way across the room to get to each other. Getting within reach of him, she practically launched herself at him.

"What happened?" she asked, still clinging onto him.

"We're going to L.A. to record a demo CD," he replied, a smile still on his face.

"Nick!" Miley squealed with excitement. "This is great! We have to go cele-"

Miley's comment was cut short by Nick's lips on hers, making it difficult for her to finish her sentence. His hands slipped from her back to her hips while her arms wrapped around his neck. He knew this was probably overstepping his boundary as her friend, but he couldn't help himself. She was so genuinely happy for him and watching her eyes sparkle with excitement; he couldn't help but kiss her.

* * *

**Dun dun dun... a kiss! I know you guys have got to be excited by now... but there's still a few tricks up my sleeves. You guys will have to sit tight and work with me for a little bit longer. I swear I will try a lot harder at writing and getting these chapters out for you guys as quickly as I can. I swear!! **

**Again... in the real world, I know there's a lot of drama between niley and nelena... but like my story we'll just have to sit tight and see how it all goes.**

**Root for the Saints to win the Superbowl guys! Well... unless you're already rooting for the Colts. They are a pretty awesome team too... but I gotta stick to my Saints. New Orleans has been celebrating since Sunday!**

**Okay... enough of my rambles... leave me some love guys! Muah!**


	16. Chapter 14

**I'm alive! And with an update! What a great way to start off my summer! Please don't hate me and kill my summer buzz.... it will make me really sad =( Instead, read the update and let me know how you liked it! =)**

* * *

Miley froze when she felt his lips hit hers, unsure of how to respond to the situation. But as the seconds kept ticking pass, she lost herself in the familiarity and found that her arms automatically wrapped around Nick's neck, her hands twining itself into his curls. Nick kissed her until he couldn't breathe anymore, breaking away to catch his breath as he rested his forehead against hers, both their eyes still closed as their heartbeats returned to normal.

"Miley… I," he started to say, pulling back to look her in the eyes.

"Hey you guys," Joe called out, making them separate from each other. Nick had his hands in his pockets while Miley played with the ring on her finger as Joe walked up to them. "The guys told us the good news, let's go celebrate."

"Alright Joe," Nick said as his big brother threw an arm around his shoulders and guided him toward the bar, practically dragging him as they left Miley behind. Looking over his shoulder at her, he gave her an apologetic smile before following Joe back to the rest of the group.

"Thanks for thinking about me guys," Miley sighed before making her own way through the crowd and back to the bar. Plopping down onto the stool she had just vacated, she looked up to see Lily staring at her. "What?"

Lily gave her a sad smile. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Miley answered half-heartedly.

"I saw what happened Miles," Lily confessed. "So are you okay?"

Miley shrugged nonchalantly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh I don't know," Lily replied sarcastically. "Maybe because your ex-boyfriend, whom you still have feelings for, practically choked you with his tongue in the middle of a club."

"It wasn't like that," Miley said defensively, looking around quickly to make sure no one had heard. "He was excited about the record. It was an impulsive move."

"Hey you two," Joe interrupted, handing them each a cup. "Join the festivities!"

Miley smiled, taking the cup out of his hand before looking back at Lily. "It didn't mean anything."

"But Mi," Lily began.

Miley gave her friend a pointed look that let her know that the conversation was over before putting on her energy into celebrating with the rest of the group. Nick and his band were just given a chance for a record deal and he was experiencing a high, that's all it was and that is what Miley chose to believe. It was an impulsive move on both their parts and she was just going to leave it at that.

-xox-

Today was not going to be a good day. She could feel it in her bones. She had woken up this morning with a major headache and running an hour late, broke a heel on her favorite pair of shoes, and had the worker at Starbucks screw up her coffee. On top of that, it was the time of the month for her so not only was she having a bad day, she was also moody. Yep, today was not going to be a good day for Miley.

"Not a good day Jess," she immediately said when she walked through the front doors of the studio, making Jessica rethink saying anything to her.

"Um…," Jessica said hesitantly, not wanting to make things worse for her boss. "Here are your messages, and is there anything else I can do for you?"

Miley sighed, taking the stack of messages from her. "Can you reschedule any consults I have today and let anyone who comes in or calls to look for me know that I'm not available today?"

"Sure thing."

"Thanks," Miley said before climbing up the stairs.

Walking into her office, she closed the door and set her things down before laying face down on her couch. It had been three days since the night of the kiss and she still had not heard one word from Nick. He was leaving in five days to go to L.A. and a lot of questions would be left unanswered. But she was slightly happy that she hadn't heard from him. She never liked confrontation and this was one she was not looking forward too. And truthfully, she was a little angry with him. Who in their right mind would kiss their ex-girlfriend and then avoid them afterwards? No phone call. No text, no nothing.

Emitting a noise that fell somewhere between a growl and a whine, Miley forced herself off of the couch.

"You are not going to be some helpless, emotional girl Miley," she said out loud, giving herself a pep talk. "You really do not need a guy in your life right now. It would cause way too many problems that you do not have the time for right now."

Taking a deep breath and releasing all of the tension, she sat down behind her desk and threw herself into her work. She busied herself by going over her messages and replying to week-old emails before going over folders of pictures for later follow-up consults. If there was one escape from her life, it was focusing on other people's life. Because no matter how bad their actual lives could be, in the split second that the picture was taken they were happy.

So engrossed with her work, she didn't realize that she had worked through lunch and most of the afternoon until her intercom buzzed, startling her. Chuckling at herself for being jumpy, she pressed the black button. "Yeah, Jess?"

"Sorry to interrupt," Jess apologized, keeping in mind that Miley did not have a good morning. "But Nick has left six messages with me for you to call him back as soon as possible. He said he tried calling your cell but never got an answer."

Miley sighed, eyeing her purse that was still sitting by the couch before picking up the folder she had been working on again. "Alright, thanks Jess."

"And Miley?"

"Yeah Jess," she replied, thumbing through the pages of proofs.

"He sounds really worried," Jessica informed her. "I would call him and put him out of his misery."

"Thanks for the message Jess," she replied.

She tried focusing on her work again, trying to get lost in the pictures once more, but every few seconds her eyes would make its way over to her purse again. Letting out a sigh of frustration, she slammed the folder shut before getting up to retrieve her phone. Turning it on, she found that she had three missed calls and about ten text messages all from him. Rubbing her temples to keep the headache from making its presence known again, she sank down onto the couch and began flipping through the texts.

The first few ones sounded sincere:

_Miles, we really need to talk about the kiss. Will you give me a call please? -Nick_

_I know you're probably busy with work, but please call me whenever you have a break. –Nick_

_Will you please give me a call so we can talk? I really want to talk about what happened –Nick_

The ones after that sounded desperate:

_Miley I really need you to call me when you can –Nick_

_I called your office but Jess says your not available, are you avoiding me? –Nick_

_Please Miles, we really need to talk. Call me… please –Nick_

The rest of them were on the angry side:

_Are you really going to avoid me? That's a little childish Miles –Nick_

_I'm getting really tired of hearing Jess say she can't get a hold of you. –Nick_

_This is really getting old really fast –Nick_

_Call me… asap –Nick_

His message he left on her voicemail was no better.

"Look Miley, I know we kinda left things floating in limbo after Friday night but I think we should really talk about it. Clear the air and all of that. But I can't talk to you about it because you're not answering any of my texts or phone calls." He paused, sighing loudly into the phone. "Will you just call me back so we can talk? We really need to talk Miles. Alright well… just call me when you get the chance."

Pressing the end call button, she went back into her inbox and saw that Lily had texted her just recently.

_Nick called asking where you were. He's freaking out because he can't get in touch with you. –Lily_

Sighing, Miley sent a quick message back to Lily.

_Sorry… I'll get in touch with him later –Miles_

Since Nick waited three days to get in touch with her after Friday, she decided that it wouldn't hurt him to wait another three hours before hearing back from her. Taking a few more minutes on the couch to regain her composure, she forced herself to get a little more work done before the workday was over. Five o'clock rolled around and Miley shut down her computer before packing her things up to leave the office. Walking downstairs, she stopped by Jessica's desk before leaving.

"Close up and go home okay?" Miley told Jess, not wanting her to stay behind.

Jess nodded, shutting off her computer just as Miley told her too. "Nick called a couple more times."

"That's nice," Miley said indifferently as she rifled through the stack of messages that had accumulated throughout the day. Jessica let out a sigh while Miley just pretended like she didn't hear her. "Have a good night and get out of here."

"Night," Jess huffed.

"Night," Miley replied before she walked outside and to her car.

Navigating the car through the traffic of New York, Miley turned up the radio to try and clear her head. Things had been going so well. Her and Nick were becoming close friends again, and then he kissed her and everything just went downhill from there. She wasn't sure what she was thinking about their relationship anymore. Pulling into her driveway ten minutes later, she climbed out of the car and waved to the handful of paparazzi at the gate before walking into her house. Right when she closed the door to the house and started up the stairs, she heard her phone go off. Letting out a sigh, she dug through her purse for her phone, getting ready to ignore Nick's call. But it wasn't Nick who was calling her it was Tracy.

"Hey," Miley answered, walking into her suite and flopping down onto her couch. "What's up?"

"So…," Tracy began. "Joe called me, Nick called Joe, and now I'm calling you."

"Why am I not surprised," Miley muttered, throwing an arm over her eyes. "I'm sorry Trace."

"Yeah, yeah. Be sorry all you want," she teased. "So me and Joe don't know exactly what happened. All we know is that something went wrong and now you won't talk to Nick and he's freaking out about it."

Miley sighed. "He kissed me."

"Oooookay," Tracy said. "And the problem with that is?"

"I don't really know right now."

"I thought you liked him," Tracy questioned.

"I do. I did," Miley answered. "I don't really know anymore."

"What happened between the kiss and today?"

"He happened," Miley huffed, sounding like a petulant child. "He kissed me and then he avoids me for three days. That's what happened."

Tracy couldn't help it. She started laughing. "That's it?"

"Why are you laughing at me?" Miley whined.

"Miles, do you realize that you sound like a teenager?" Tracy chuckled. "You're in your twenties, don't you think you're passed the age where you can avoid him because he avoided you?"

"Maybe."

"Have you thought that maybe he's been busy with the whole going to L.A. to record a demo?"

"Maybe…" Miley answered, sounding a little unsure of herself.

"Call him Miley," Tracy said forcefully.

"I will."

"I don't mean tomorrow," Tracy said, knowing her friend all too well. "I mean like right after you hang up with me."

"Fine," Miley agreed, rolling her eyes.

"Alright then," Tracy said cheerfully. "I gotta call Joe and let him know that my deed is done. Bye."

"Bye," Miley sighed.

An hour went by and Miley was still lying on her couch with her arm thrown over her eyes. She wasn't sure how to approach the situation with Nick and therefore didn't want to call him just yet. Feeling her phone vibrate, she brought it up to eye level before lowering her arm so she could see to read the text.

_Call him – Trace_

Miley laughed, sitting up for the first time since she got home from work.

"No better time than the present," she said out loud before pressing a few buttons on her phone. After the first ring she was still relatively calm, it wasn't until after the second one that she started getting anxious. By the third ring she was tapping her fingers on the surface of the coffee table and on the fourth one she was ready to hang up.

"Miley!" Nick answered, sounding breathless. "I've been trying to get a hold of you all morning."

"I know," Miley replied in a whisper.

"You know!" he all but yelled at her. "I was pulling my hair out thinking something bad happened to you and all you say is 'you know'?"

"I'm sorry," Miley apologized, on the verge of crying.

Hearing her voice falter, Nick took a deep breath, trying to get his emotions in check. "I'm sorry I yelled. I didn't mean to yell. You just weren't answering any of my messages or calls and I got worried," he said calmly. "Why didn't you answer me?"

"I don't know," she replied.

Nick was getting agitated with her short answers, but knew better than to keep yelling at her. So he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his free hand into fists to relieve some of the tension. "Why don't you know?"

"I guess I was scared," she said, her voice barely above the whisper she started off at.

"Scared of what?" he asked, feeling like they were getting nowhere with this conversation. She didn't answer him right away, so he sat there and listened to her shallow breathing. "Miley? What were you scared of?"

Feeling like she couldn't keep it in anymore, Miley took a deep breath before breaking. "You kissed me, Nick. You kissed me. And then you didn't try to get in touch with me for three days afterwards. Do you know how that makes me feel?"

"I-"

"No, I'll tell you how I felt," Miley continued, not letting him talk. "Rejected, that's how it made me feel. It felt like you regretted it, that you kissed me on impulse and then realized that you never meant to kiss me. Then all of a sudden you annoy every one of my friends trying to find me, and it doesn't make sense. But maybe it's all because I think I may like you as more than a friend and I'm scared I'll get hurt again…," she said all in one breath. "I'm just scared."

"Miley," Nick sighed, rubbing the palm of his hands into his eyes. "It wasn't on impulse. I wanted to kiss you."

Miley was ready to make up an excuse to get off the phone with him, but froze when she processed what he had just said. She wasn't expecting him to say that to her, and she didn't know how to respond to it. So she said the only thing that came to mind.

"Oh."

Nick laughed. "Will you let me take you to lunch, or maybe dinner tomorrow so we can talk this through?"

"Um… okay," Miley replied.

"Okay, so lunch or dinner?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Dinner."

"Alright then, I'll pick you up for dinner tomorrow at seven," he told her. When he didn't get a response, he decided that the conversation was pretty much done. "Good night Miles."

"Night," Miley whispered just as she heard the click that indicated he was no longer on the line.

She was still slightly stunned by his confession. She had definitely not expected it. But even in her stunned state, she somehow went through the motions of getting ready for bed. When she slipped under her covers twenty minutes later, a smile was on her face.

He had wanted to kiss her.

-xox-

Hearing the doorbell ring at precisely seven, Miley took one last look in the mirror to make sure every last piece of hair was in place. She had gone through about twenty different outfits before deciding to be casual in a simple cream top and dark skinny jeans, finishing off the look with black peep toe heels.

"It's now or never," she told herself, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Grabbing her purse before making her way downstairs, she found Nick talking to her dad by the front door. "Hey daddy. When did you get home?"

"About a minute after Nick got here," he answered her, giving her a warm hug. "I didn't realize you two were seeing each other."

"Dad…," Miley said, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as she caught Nick's eyes. "We're only going out to dinner."

The three of them fell into silence then, Robby Ray smiling at the both of them while Nick shuffled nervously in his spot. Miley cleared her throat, trying to catch her dad's attention to get him to leave.

"Oh! Right," Robby Ray exclaimed, realizing what his daughter was trying to tell him. "Well I'll leave you two too it. Have fun and stay out of trouble."

Miley smacked herself on the forehead, shaking her head at how embarrassing her dad could be. You would think that since she was twenty-five she wouldn't have to experience these things anymore, but she was definitely wrong. Waiting until she heard her dad walk up the stairs to look up, she gave Nick an apologetic smile.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"He's usually not like that," Miley said, pointing at the stairs to indicate that she was speaking about her dad.

Nick chuckled. "It's okay."

"Umm… Should we leave?" Miley asked awkwardly.

"Oh yeah," Nick exclaimed. "If you're ready."

"Let's go then," she replied, heading for the door. Turning the doorknob, she paused and looked over her shoulder. "Dad, we're leaving."

"Alright," Robby Ray called out from the top of the stairs.

Miley laughed, waiting until Nick walked out behind her to close the door. "I guess it doesn't matter how old I am, he'll always be listening from the top of the stairs."

"Well you are his baby girl," Nick said with a smirk.

"Don't call me that," Miley shouted, slapping him on the arm.

"Ow," Nick cried out, grabbing his arm. "Are you gonna start all the violence so early on into the night?"

"Well if you deserve it then there's nothing I can do about it," Miley replied in a smart-aleck tone.

Smirking at him, she opened the door to the car and climbed in. Exhaling a big breath, she watched as he walked around the front of the car to the driver side. She didn't know why she had been so nervous about tonight. This was Nick. They had always been comfortable around one another, and a kiss couldn't change that.

"So is Thai okay?" Nick asked as he fastened his seatbelt and started the car.

"Yep," Miley answered, fastening her own seatbelt before fiddling around with the radio. Finding a station that was playing decent music, she sat back in her seat and smirked at Nick before starting to sing along to the song… badly.

"Would you stop all that noise," Nick complained, all the while with a smile on his face.

"Nope," she answered, singing even louder.

Nick shook his head at her, trying to ignore her as best as he could. When that didn't work, he gave in and started singing along with her. Miley smiled in victory, and just like that they were back to their old selves, singing and laughing all the way to the restaurant. They spent an hour and a half having light conversation over dinner, making Miley wonder if he really had the intention of talking about them tonight. After dessert, Miley found herself standing on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, waiting for Nick to join her.

"Hey," he called out to her as he walked out of the front door. "Missed me?"

"Nope," Miley replied, not missing a beat.

"You're so funny," he shot back at her.

"I sure am," she smirked.

"Right," he replied, throwing an arm around her shoulder. He smiled down at her, making her feel self-conscious.

"What?"

"Nothing," he answered, pulling her along as he started to walk down the street. "Do you want to take a walk in the park with me?"

"Do I have a choice?" Miley asked. "You're kinda my ride home you know."

"Good point." With that said, he led her down the sidewalk and across the street to the park, his arm around her the whole way. They walked in silence for ten minutes, enjoying the warm weather before Nick broke silence. "I'm leaving for L.A. in four days."

"I know," Miley answered, keeping her attention on the ground in front of her.

"We're spending two months over there."

"L.A. is great," Miley said. "You and the rest of the guys will love it over there."

"Miles," Nick said. He stopped walking, making Miley stop also. Pulling her off the walkway and towards a bench, he placed both his hands on her shoulder and turned her towards him. "I like you, and as childish as this might sound, I really like you. I know the timing is not perfect right now because I'm leaving, but I want to try Miles. I think we can be good together. No, I know we can be good together. We've done this once before and it was good… until the end." He mentally smacked himself for bringing their complicated breakup up again, but at this point he was nervous and rambling. "But even then it was good. I want to try because we can do this. I know we can do this. Please say we can do this."

Miley stood shell-shocked at his confession, unsure of what to say. How exactly was she suppose to answer to something like that?

"Can you please say something?" Nick asked nervously. "Anything at all."

"Uhhh… I don't really know what to say," she replied.

Nick's heart fell at her words. "Right. Okay, it's getting late so I should get you home now."

Still clueless on what to say to him, Miley could only nod her head. They walked back towards the car in complete and awkward silence, making sure to keep to their own personal space. When they got to the car Nick opened Miley's door for her, getting a whispered 'thank you' in return. The silence continued throughout the car ride back to her place, the quiet hum of the radio the only thing you can hear. Nick kept his eyes on the road in front of him while Miley stared out the window. When they arrived back to Miley's house, Nick put his car in park and waited while Miley unfastened her seatbelt.

"Nick look, it's not that I don't feel the same way as you do," Miley said softly. "I don't really know what I feel right now. You kind of gave me a lot to work with tonight, and I just need a little time to think. Can I get some time to think about it?"

"Yeah," Nick replied. There was really nothing else he could say to her. "Take all the time you need."

Miley nodded, giving him a sad smile. Leaning over the center console, she placed a kiss on his cheek before getting out of the car. "Night, Nick."

"Night."

He watched as she walked to her front door, flashing her a smile and waving bye when she turned to wave at him before she closed the door after her. Sighing, he headed home to wait until she took enough time to think, hoping it wouldn't take too long.

-xox-

The following night, Miley found herself in bed with Tracy and Lily on both sides of her as she retold the events of her date with Nick. Going over every little detail, she rehashed everything from her phone call with him to the point where he dropped her off at home last night. She was confused and needed to talk through it, hoping at least one of her friends would help her gain a new perspective on the situation.

"So let me get this straight," Lily said. "He told you he liked you, and you basically told him that you liked him too."

Miley nodded, letting her know that she was correct.

"Then what exactly do you need 'time' for?" she asked, putting air quotes around time.

"I don't know," Miley exclaimed. "It's just complicated."

"What's so complicated about it?" Lily asked as Tracy nodded in agreement.

Miley sighed, staring up at her ceiling. "What about the fact that he's leaving in two days? Doesn't that make things complicated?"

"He's only going to be gone a couple of months," Tracy pointed out. "It's not like he's moving over there for good."

"But he might," Miley replied. "If him and the band make it big, he'll always be out on the road and they'll most likely have to move over to L.A."

"If you really love him, those things won't matter to you two," Traci pointed out.

"But he'll be too busy for a relationship," Miley added to her argument.

"Miles, I know deep down you know what the right thing for you to do is to sleep on it. We can't change your mind unless you want it to be changed. So think about what you're really afraid of and what will make you happy," Lily instructed, squeezing her friend's hand in support. "Don't over-analyze things, and just do what your first instinct is."

"Right, don't over-analyze things," Miley repeated sarcastically. "What do you think I'm doing right now?"

"You'll make the right decision," Tracy said confidently.

"How are you so sure?"

She shrugged. "You just will."

"I hope you're right," Miley mumbled, burying her head under a pillow.

"We are," Lily said, motioning for Tracy to head towards the door. "Make your decision with a clear mind tomorrow. Tonight, just sleep on it."

With her head still buried under the pillow, she half-heartedly waved at them as her way of saying bye. Waiting until she heard her door close, she came out from her hiding spot and sighed. Tonight she was not going to stress out over it, she was going to take her friends' advice and sleep on it. Maybe a good night's sleep will help clear her conscious enough for her to make a decision she could live with tomorrow.

-xox-

The next day, Miley found herself sitting at her desk in her office staring off into empty space. She was still so confused with herself. Nick told her he liked her, and yes, a part of her knew for sure that she liked him also. But the fact that he was embarking onto a very hard road was making it difficult for her to accept that she did want to be with him.

Sighing heavily, she dug her palms into her eyes. "What am I going to do with myself?"

"Find someone you can talk to instead of yourself?"

Startled by the voice, Miley looked up to see Joe standing at her office door. "Joe, you scared me!" She must have been too absorbed in her thoughts to realize Joe had showed up. "What are you doing here anyways?"

"Just wanted to see what was going on with my favorite girl," he said, walking into the room and flopping down into one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"Favorite girl?" Miley questioned.

"Okay well… more like second favorite, or maybe third," he corrected with a shrug. "After mom and Tracy of course."

Miley smiled. "Of course."

"Just you know, don't tell Dani that."

Miley laughed. "Of course not."

"So… pretty decent place you got here," he said as he looked around her office. Miley had forgotten that besides Nick, none of the other family members has been to her studio.

"Yeah, I do what I can," Miley beamed. She never said it out loud, but she was proud of the little place she could call her own. Kicking his feet up onto the corner of Miley's desk, Joe just stared at her, making her feel self-conscious. "You never gave me the real answer to exactly why you're here."

"I really just came by to see how you were doing," he answered. "I haven't been able to talk to you in awhile."

"Oh well, I've been alright," Miley replied. "Just busy with work."

Joe nodded, but didn't say anything else, which made Miley uneasy. Trying to avoid his eyes, she busied herself with answering the long list of emails she had yet to read. "He's waiting for you to call him."

He said it so softly that Miley almost didn't hear him over the sound of her fingers flying over the keyboard. A part of her knew he was here for Nick, but the other part of her was hoping he really was just here to see how she was doing. "I know," she replied just as softly, her fingers frozen over the keys.

"He leaves tomorrow night," Joe said. "Just to let you know."

Miley closed her eyes. "I know that too."

"He won't hate you if you don't feel the same way he does. He'll always want to be your friend," Joe said slowly. "But from someone on the outside, I see something between you two. At the beginning yall got along so well so quickly, and even after you guys had the falling out and you left for two years, you two were still able to become friends again. Miley, not many people can do that. Deep down, you must know that you two are not meant to be friends."

"It's complicated," Miley sighed.

"It's really not," Joe countered. "You don't see it but you light up whenever you two are together and even in a crowded room, Nick always makes sure he knows where you are at all times. He panics if he can't see you."

"I'm sure you're just over-thinking things," Miley said, trying to make this seem like it wasn't a big deal.

"You might be in denial about it Miles, but I know there's something there. You two are drawn together." Miley didn't say anything; she didn't have anything to say to that. "How would you feel if you couldn't see him anymore? Just think about that for me."

Out of nowhere, Miley broke out into tears. She didn't really know why she just started crying, but she did which made Joe jump out of his seat in alarm.

"Um Miley…" he said nervously. "I'm not really good with crying people." He was trying to get her to calm down, but for some reason that only made her cry harder. "Okay… um, just calm down," he said softly, walking around the desk to pull her cautiously into his arms. "It's okay, it will be okay. Just tell me what's wrong and I'll try to make it better."

"I don't know," Miley cried, her tears soaking the front of Joe's tee. "I don't know anything anymore."

"Okay, alright," Joe soothed, running his fingers through her hair. "Just talk to me, we'll figure it out together."

She didn't say anything for a while, opting to just stay crying in Joe's arms. "I'm scared," Miley sniffled once she had calmed down a little.

"Scared of what?"

"What if we don't work out?" she questioned, her words slightly muffled by Joe's chest.

"What if you do work out?" Joe countered. Miley pouted, punching him lightly in the gut, making Joe laugh. "Okay, I'm sorry. But Miles you won't know unless you try, and as cliché as that sounds, it's the truth." She didn't say anything after that, deciding to just stay put in Joe's arms.

"Hey Miley, I have those pictures you wanted," Jessica said as she walked through the door with stacks of binders in her arms. Looking up, she was surprised to see Miley standing with Joe's arms around her. "Oh! Sorry! I'll come back later."

"No, Jess, it's okay," Miley sniffled as she wiped at her eyes. "We were just having a talk about something."

"Okay well I'll just set these down here so you can get to them when you have time," she said before placing the binders down onto the coffee table. "If you need me just buzz me on the intercom."

"Thanks," Miley said before Jessica left the office. Wiping the last remnants of tears from her face, she looked back at Joe. "Thanks to you too."

"No big deal," Joe shrugged.

"And sorry about your shirt," Miley said, blushing out of embarrassment.

"It can be washed," he replied, pulling her back in for a hug. "I just want you to be happy and make the right decision. You're my little sister I never had Miles."

That comment made Miley break out into a smile. She was an only child so she never got to experience what it was like to have siblings. "Thanks Joe."

Pushing her out at arms length to look her in the eyes, he pushed her hair back from her face. "Just think about what I said okay? Sometimes you have to take a risk in life."

Miley nodded. "I promise I will."

Pulling her into another hug, he placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Just remember he leaves tomorrow."

-xox-

Miley was pacing back and forth in her living room. She found herself doing that a lot lately, but really she had no other choice. But tonight, at this very moment it was for a very important reason.

"Should I stay? Should I go?" Miley asked as she bore a trail in the carpet. "What should I do?"

Lily sighed. It seemed like she was always doing this lately. "Miley, I can't make that decision for you. You have to do make it for yourself."

"I know," Miley cried; ready to pull her hair out by the roots. "I just don't know what to do right now."

"Well you need to figure it out," Lily replied, a little too forcefully but it was what Miley needed right now. "And soon."

Miley looked up at the clock hanging on the wall, seeing that it was already half past five in the afternoon. Seeing the time just made her even more of a nervous-wreck. "I don't know what to do. I need you to decide for me."

"Miles, I can't," Lily replied. "Do you need me to call Joe? I can do that for you."

"No, you don't need to call Joe," she replied as sunk down into a chair, throwing an arm across her eyes. "I don't want him to go."

"What was that?" Lily asked.

"I don't want him to go," Miley repeated softly. "I don't want to miss him. But I don't want to ask him to stay because I know he would. I know I have to let him go."

-xox-

Nick looked at his wristwatch. He only had forty-five minutes before his plane took off and he still had to go through security. Looking at the door one last time, he finally resigned into believing that she really was not coming to see him off. Really, he should have come to terms with this last night after not receiving a call from her for three days. Shaking his head at his idiocy, he pulled his bag up from the ground.

"I should probably get going," he announced to his family. "The rest of the band is already waiting for me at the gate."

"Alright, call home if you ever need anything," his dad said, patting him on the shoulder.

"I will dad." Turning towards his mom who had tears in her eyes, he pulled her into a hug. "I'll be home in a couple of months mom."

"I know," she sniffled. "But this is the first time one of my boys is leaving for the other side of the country."

"I'll be fine mom," Nick reassured.

"Good luck in Hollywood and don't forget about us little people when you make it big," Kevin and Danielle joked.

"Yeah right," Joe butted in. "He's never getting big. He'll probably be back here in a week."

"Thanks so much Joe," Nick said sarcastically.

"I'm just joking," Joe laughed, pulling Nick into a headlock. "I know you'll do great over here." Punching him in the shoulder, Nick just laughed. Pulling his brother in a brotherly-hug, he whispered in his ear. "She'll be around sooner or later."

"Thanks," he said half-heartedly because really, he didn't have high hopes of that anymore. Looking down to his watch one more time, he sighed before giving each of his family members another hug. "I'll call you when I land over there."

"Be safe," his mom called out to him when he started walking to the gate.

"I will," he replied while walking backwards.

He was about to turn around and head towards security when something caught his eye. Seeing him staring at one spot, his family turned towards the direction out of curiosity just in time to see a flash of brown fly past him. Dropping his bag just in time, Miley bumped right into him.

"Oomph," Nick said, his hands instinctively grabbing her waist to keep her from falling over. Looking down at a flushed and panting Miley, he couldn't help but tighten his hands to keep her from disappearing. "Miley?"

Miley panted, still trying to catch her breath. Holding up a finger to tell him to give her a second, she closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths until her breathing was back to normal before looking back at him. "I couldn't let you go without saying goodbye."

"Oh," Nick said, his hopes being crushed all over again. "Okay."

"And to tell you good luck and that I'm really proud of you. I know you'll do great over there," she said, placing a hand on his cheek.

"Thanks," he said, leaning into her hand. "I should really go to my gate."

"Right," Miley agreed, but neither of them made a move to leave. To the outside world, they looked like two lovers saying goodbye.

"Okay, I really have to go," Nick laughed, pulling her into a real hug before reluctantly letting her go and picking up his bag again. They were going to be friends, and he was going to be okay with that. "I'll call you to check up on you okay?"

"Yep," Miley nodded, biting her lower lip.

"I'll see you when I get back," Nick said, placing a kiss on her forehead. He spent another moment just looking at her, trying to remember all the details of her face before dropping his hands to his side and really saying goodbye this time. Looking over her shoulder, he rolled his eyes when he saw his family openly watching them. Waving bye to them, he gave Miley a one-armed hug before turning to head towards security.

He got ten steps before he heard her call out to him. "Hey Nick!"

"Yeah," He called back as he turned around to look at her.

"I forgot to tell you something," she said."

"What?"

"Umm…," Miley hummed while she chewed on her lower lip. Deciding to just go through with it before she lost her nerve, she walked right up to Nick and pulled him down for a kiss. Breaking apart, she kept her hands around his neck while she rested her forehead against his. "I really like you."

Breaking out into a smile, Nick dropped his bag and pulled her into bone-crushing hug, making her feet dangle off the ground. "You don't know how happy that makes me."

"Nick," Miley gasped. "I can't breathe."

Setting her back down, he loosened his grip on her. "I really have to go."

"I know."

"I don't want to go."

"I don't want you to go," Miley agreed, but took a step back away from him. "But you need to go."

Nick sighed. "We have the worst timing in the world."

"I think I'm the one that makes us have the worst timing on the world," Miley laughed. "But you really need to go before you miss your flight."

Nick nodded, reaching out to pull her towards him again. "I'll call you."

"You better."

Smiling, he placed a light kiss on her lips before starting to walk backwards because if he didn't leave now he wasn't ever going to leave. She waved bye to him and he returned the wave, watching as Joe walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder before he made himself turn around and walk through security.

"You made me proud," Joe sniffed, earning an elbow in the gut from Miley.

"You are soooo funny," she said sarcastically before turning to walk away from him.

Joe laughed, jogging to catch up to her before throwing an arm around her shoulder. "You made him really happy just now."

"I know," Miley smiled. "I made myself really happy just now too."

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**Alright guys... this is the last chapter aside from the epilogue. I promise to not make you wait another 4 months until the next update, which is also the last. But again, don't hate me if I break that promise. (hides out behind the couch)**

**leave a review please! =)**


	17. epilogue

**Hello? Is anyone out there? Well if there are still readers following this story... your eyes are not deceiving you! I have FINALLY finished this story. I know it only took me about close to a year. But for some reason I wanted to reread this story today, and then I had the urge to write the final ending. I hope this gives it an ending that is to your liking!**

**And again... soooo SORRY!**

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**-epilogue-**

"What are you doing?"

Miley was currently spending a Friday night in bed with her phone squished between her ear and shoulder as she painted her nails. It had been a long couple of months for her. She spent a lot of her time either working or flying to LA for the weekend to spend a few days with Nick.

"Watching the trees fly by."

Somewhere between Denver and Omaha, Nick was currently sitting in the seating area of the bus he shared with his band mates. After flying out to LA about eight months ago, they had been signed to a label and went straight to work on putting out their first album. Now they were amidst a tour across the country as the opening act for the band One Republic to establish themselves in the music industry and gain some fans.

"How was the show tonight?" Miley asked.

"It was good," Nick answered.

Sensing he had something else on his mind, Miley fished for information. "But…"

Nick sighed, running his hands through his head of curls. He really needed to get a haircut soon. "I miss home… I miss you."

"I just saw you last week," Miley chuckled, maneuvering herself to sit against her headboard in a way where she didn't mess up her freshly painted nails.

"That's too long ago."

Miley smiled, hearing the pout she was sure was gracing Nick's face right now.

"You'll be home soon," she replied, trying to comfort him anyway she could. "Then you'll get sick of seeing me all the time and won't be able to wait until you can go on tour again."

"Not likely," Nick smiled. She always knew how to make him feel better. "How is Abbie?"

"She's good, but she misses you being around." Miley loved him for the fact that he was so involved with the people in her life. He was so good with Abbie, taking her places and sending her gifts. "She's going to be in her school play next Thursday."

"I wish I could be there. I feel like I'm letting her down."

"It's okay… she understands," Miley said, feeling bad that she was making him feel guilty for not being around. "Your tour will be over in a little over a month and then you'll be home for the holidays. I'm sure her school will have a Christmas play you can come too."

"I guess."

Biting on her bottom lip, Miley tried to think of a happier topic they could talk about. "You'll never guess who called to set up an appointment with me for their debut CD."

"Oh really, who?" Nick asked. "Are you working for my competition babe?"

Miley smiled, already hearing the change in his mood. "I'll give you a hint. You meant him recently at the MTV Movie Awards."

"Is it that Bieber kid?" Nick exclaimed.

"Yep," she giggled.

"I can't believe I have to compete against a fifteen year old kid with nice hair," Nick sighed, making Miley burst out into full out laughter. It made him smile hearing her laugh. "Do me a favor and make him look ridiculous, like posing with teddy bears or something."

Miley snorted. "No promises hun."

That was how they ended all of their nights… talking on the phone before one or both of them went to bed. Ever since he left to LA many months ago, they were able to easily fall back into being a couple. She would visit him wherever he was currently at least one weekend out of the month and he would try to make a trip back home when he had time, even if it was just for a day. Everything was good. Of course they did have their fights, but after one day of not talking one of them would end up apologizing to the other.

-xox-

Miley flipped through the stacks of proofs, noting which ones she thought would work and putting them into a separate pile. She stopped and laughed when she got to the one of Justin surrounded by teddy bears of all shapes and sizes, putting that one off to the side so she could show Nick when he was back in town. He would get a good laugh out of it.

"Miley?"

"Yeah Jess," she replied through the intercom.

"There's someone here to see you."

Puzzled, Miley looked at her planner to see if she had forgotten about an appointment today. But it was blank. "Is it a last minute appointment?"

"No a walk-in," her secretary replied.

Miley sighed; she had wanted to get out early today. She had made a promise to Abbie that she would take her to see the movie with the cute yellow jellybean looking characters. "Show them up."

Taking the few minutes she had before Jessica would be here with the client, Miley checked her appearance in the mirror and put the pictures she was looking at on the shelf behind her desk.

"Miley?" she heard Jess call-out after knocking on the door to her office.

"Come in."

Popping her head in, she smiled at Miley before opening the office door all the way. "Right this way."

"Thank you," she heard a muffled voice say.

Miley stood from her seat, making a move to welcome the visitor. Glancing at the door, she gasped. "Nick."

"Hey," he smiled, holding a bouquet of her favorite flowers in his hands. "Surprise."

Breaking out into a grin, she ran over and threw her arms around him. Pulling him into a hug, she heard the sound of her door close but all she could think about was the fact that Nick was here.

"What are you doing here?" she mumbled against his chest.

He chuckled, breaking her hold to walk her over to sit on the couch. "I missed you too."

"Sorry, hi. I missed you," she said, taking the flowers from him and setting it on the table before wrapping her arms around him and giving him a quick kiss. "I thought you weren't coming back for another week."

"The drummer of One Republic broke his arm so the tour ended a little early," Nick said, burying his face in Miley's hair to inhale her scent. "Which was bad for everyone, but good for me."

"I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too," Nick agreed, placing a kiss on her forehead. "I've really missed you."

Miley smiled. "Since you're home, I promised a certain little girl I'd take her to the movies tonight. If I bring you as a surprise I think I'll get the "best godmother in the world" award."

"Sure," Nick agreed. "I just need to stop by my parents place first."

"Oh! I have something to show you," Miley exclaimed, pulling him up from the couch and over to her desk. "I think you'll like this."

They both busted out laughing when she showed him the picture. Nick didn't actually think she would have gone through with what he had suggested, but she just shrugged and told him she thought he would find it funny. She recounted the story of how the photoshoot went as she collected her things and they walked out to her car, hand-in-hand. He told her about how the drummer broke his arm while playing the Wii as they drove to his parents house, who were as surprised as Miley was when they opened the door to find him on the front steps. After a million hugs and kisses from his mom, they went to pick up Abbie who overlooked Miley the minute Nick walked into the house and glued herself to his side the rest of the night. But Miley didn't mind that she was ignored because the look of happiness on the little girl's face was worth it. They ended up not even going to the movies since she couldn't stop talking and asking questions, instead they enjoyed the last couple hours of sunlight at the park like old days.

-xox-

Holding Abbie's hand in one of hers and juggling two brown paper bag of to-go boxes in the other, she led the little girl down the sidewalk and into the building. Letting Abbie press the buttons for the elevator, they got off on the 18th floor and walked down the hall to a door on the left.

"Remember to be very quiet okay Abs," Miley gently reminded her. Abbie nodded, a smile on her face and her Dora bag on her back.

Opening the door gently, she let Abbie walk in first before following behind her. They passed the hallway decorated with plaques of platinum records and into the recording room. Abbie ran straight to the soundboard, trying to get Nick's attention through the window while Miley settled onto the black couch. Now that Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years had passed, Nick and the band were back in the studio working on their next record. But this time they were able to stay in New York, which made Miley a very happy camper. Once he saw the little girl jumping up and down and waving, Nick broke out into a smile and suggested they take a break before walking out of the recording booth. He picked Abbie up once out the door and blew a loud raspberry on her cheek, making her shriek before giggling.

"How are my two favorite girls today?" he asked, walking over to the couch and giving Miley her own kiss on the cheek.

"Good," Miley answered with a smile. "We thought we'd bring you guys lunch."

The rest of the band entered the room, breaking out into a round of 'awesome' and 'thanks' before digging into the food. They all sat around eating lunch, Nick occasionally feeding Abbie from his plate because she insisted that his food was much better than her own. Once the food was cleared, the guys in the band brought Abbie into the recording booth to show her all the instruments, leaving Nick and Miley alone.

"Full?" Miley asked, patting Nick's stomach while leaning into his side.

Nick 'hmm'd' in contentment, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Thanks for lunch and coming to visit."

"No problem, although it was all Abbie's idea."

"Well then I take back your thank you," Nick joked, watching as the guys showed Abbie how to bang on the drums.

Miley rolled her eyes at him. "She wanted to come see you since you haven't had time to visit her lately."

"I know, I'm sorry," Nick apologized.

He had been working nonstop on the new record for the pass month, which meant he spent most of his time in the studio. He hardly even had time to spend with Miley even though she had moved into his apartment over Christmas. Most nights she was already in bed and asleep by the time he made it home and on the rare nights when she wasn't, they would eat dinner and then he would pass out on the couch while she watched a movie. But Miley didn't mind. She just liked spending time with him, even if he was snoring in her ear.

"It's okay, we both know you're busy making the next big hit." She smiled, brushing his hair away from his face. "You guys sounded really good though."

"Thanks. We're almost done."

"And then I can force you to spend all your free time with me," Miley said, kissing him on the lips.

They snuggled on the couch a little longer before Miley decided it was time for them to go so the guys could get back to work. Abbie pouted for a while, not ready to stop playing with the instruments. But after Nick told her she could come back anytime she wanted, she gave in started to pick up her things. Laughing at her antics, Nick picked her up and threw his arm around Miley's shoulders as he walked them to the elevators. They waited for the elevators together, Nick giving each of his girls a kiss goodbye and promising Miley he'd be home early before they left and he walked back to the studio. He didn't know where the feeling came from, but he suddenly had a vision of Miley and his own daughter coming to see him in the studio one day and the thought made him smile for the rest of the day.

-xox-

"Babe?" Nick called from the living room. "You ready to go?"

"Coming," Miley answered from their bedroom.

"We're gonna miss our flight if we don't leave soon."

Throwing her cosmetics bag into her suitcase and zipping it up, she rolled it behind her as she walked out of the room. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Alright let's go," Nick said, taking her suitcase from her and rushing her towards the door. "Joe is getting impatient in the car."

Miley laughed, "I'm not surprised."

They had been officially going out for almost two years and had been living together for ten of those months. After all that time together, they finally had the time to go on vacation together. So as her birthday present, Nick surprised her with a trip to Hawaii. Things were going well for them. Miley had a steady client list from baby pictures to magazine shoots and his band had just finished their second tour. This vacation was a way for them to reconnect after him being gone for so long.

"Oh my gosh… this is heaven," Miley exclaimed as she collapsed on the bed of their home for the next few days.

"Hmmm," Nick hummed in agreement as he settled in next to her.

They had just spent more than enough time on a plane and were happy to be able to stretch out on the comfortable bed of their rental. It was a private house right on their own private stretch of beach. Now that Nick's band had taken the industry by storm, it was hard for them to be in public. The spotlight that was on her had dimmed when she had moved to LA and she was able to have somewhat a normal life when she returned to New York. But now, Miley being both Miley Stewart and now Nick's girlfriend, was back to being the media's princess. She never complained though.

"I think I would be okay with just spending the whole vacation in this bed," Miley said, burrowing further into the comfortable pillows. "I think I'm in love with this bed and we need to replace ours when we get home."

Nick chuckled, pulling her to snuggle in his arms. "What ever you want love."

"Thank you for planning this," she said, placing a kiss on his neck.

"You are very welcome," he replied, hugging her closer. "But if we don't get up and give Abbie a call she'll be really mad at us."

"You're right," Miley laughed, spending another minute in bed before getting up and grabbing her phone.

They spent each spent five minutes calling their parents to let them know they arrived safely before spending close to two hours on the phone with Abbie. She had them describe the house in full detail and then the way the beach looked, smelt, felt and whether or not they saw any dolphins in the water. They appeased the little girl, taking turns talking to her in thirty-minute intervals before Mia finally told Abbie to tell them goodbye and hang up.

Although Miley had said she would be okay with just spending their vacation in bed, they did in fact enjoy the island and all it had to offer. They tanned on the beach, went jet skiing and snorkeling, and experienced a luau. On one of the days Miley watched as Nick tried to learn how to surf. She had a good laugh watching him from her spot on the beach. They had his-and-hers massages, saw a real volcano, swam with dolphins, and went shopping. Their nights were spent watching the sunset on the beach with glasses of wine, wrapped up in each other's arms. On their last night, Nick arranged a special dinner on the deck complete with candles and the sound of the ocean crashing only a few feet from them.

"This was a really great trip," Miley said, taking a sip of her white wine. She leaned back against him as they sat on one of the lounge chairs, interlocking their hands together as she smiled up at him. "Thank you for planning it."

"No problem," he replied with a smile, kissing her on the forehead.

"I don't want to leave tomorrow," she pouted. "Can we just stay here?"

"We could," Nick said. "But I think Abbie would be very disappointed if we're not home tomorrow."

Miley hummed, closing her eyes as she listened to the waves. "It's so perfect here."

Nick watched Miley with her eyes closed, running his thumb over the back of her hand. "Do you see yourself having kids in the future?"

Miley's eyes popped open when she heard Nick's questions. "Why are you asking?"

He shrugged, "just wondering, I guess."

She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, chewing on it gently. They've never broached topics as serious as this before. "I think so… one day, in the future."

"How many do you want?"

"At least two… growing up as an only child was lonely sometimes so I would want my child to at least have another sibling," she answered, turning her head to look at him. "How many do you want?"

"I came from a family of four, so I want a big family." At his answer, Miley only 'hmm'd' in response before turning to look back out at the ocean. "Do you see yourself having a big family?"

Miley was silent for a while, making Nick worry that maybe they shouldn't be talking about the future yet. After a few more seconds and right before Nick was about to run and hide, Miley finally answered his question.

"I think I could have a big family… if that's what you want," she whispered into the night, making Nick break out into a smile.

Nick squeezed his arms around her tighter, pulling her hair over to one side so he could place a gentle kiss on her shoulder. "We can compromise and have three."

"I'd like that," she smiled.

"I think I want to retire from the band and just work with other artists as a producer," he said, changing the subject from children.

"Really?" Miley questioned. "What about the rest of the band though?"

"We've talked about it already. We're all getting older and wants to start settling down," he replied, hoping she understood what he was trying to say.

"But I thought music was your dream?"

"I'll still be working with music, just not like the past two years. I don't want to have to leave you for months on end to tour. I don't want to start a family that way," he said, placing his hand on her flat stomach. "The guys understand and they all agree. Jake's going to be getting married in a couple of months and David is about to have a kid. We're all ready to move on with our lives."

"If that's what you want, then I'll support whatever you want to do."

"That's why I love you."

Miley smiled, turning to give him a kiss. "I love you."

"Do you see yourself living in the city or do you eventually want to move out to the suburbs like our parents?"

"I'd rather raise our kids outside of the city," Miley answered, seeming to be more comfortable with talk about the future. She rested her chin on his chest, looking him in the eyes. "I want them to be able to play in a yard."

"Guess we'll have to start looking for houses then," Nick joked, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Guess so," she agreed, no sign of joking in her voice.

He smiled at her, loving the way her eyes sparkled in the candlelight. Sitting up straight, he laced his right hand with her left before bringing it up between them and placing a kiss on her knuckles. Rubbing his thumb over her fingers, he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I think I've always known you would be the person I married," he confessed, making her eyes water with tears. "I think I've loved you since the moment you ran into me in the park that one night and even after I found out you weren't really Destiny I loved you. I never told you but I think it was fate that we met that night."

"What do you mean fate?" Miley sniffled through her tears.

Cupping her face between his hands, he brushed away her tears with his thumbs. "I got a fortune that night that told me I would meet destiny and then here you come running right into me. It was fate. You were suppose to be in my life."

His story only made Miley break out into a fresh round of tears. "Are you sure you won't get sick of me one day?"

"I'm sure," he chuckled.

"I'm not a morning person."

"I definitely know that."

"I don't like making the bed."

"We've been living together, I already know that Miles."

"I sing really bad and obnoxiously to songs on the radio."

"And I love that you do."

"Can we get a dog?"

"Whatever you want baby."

"We need a new bed."

"I remember you mentioning that our first day here."

"Can we find a house by your parents?"

"Why my parents?"

"I love your parents and I want our kids to be able to walk to their grandparents' house if they want too."

"I'll talk to their neighbors into moving if I have too."

"Can we get married here? Just our families and close friends."

"That sounds perfect."

Miley smiled, throwing her arms around him and pulling him into a hug, squeezing him as hard as she could. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Will you marry me?"

Nick broke out into laughter at her question. "Are you proposing to me?"

"Yes," Miley replied, nodding her head.

"Babe," Nick whined. "You're ruining my proposal."

"Oh! Sorry," she apologized. "I take it back then."

Nick shook his head with a chuckle. It would be Miley to propose to him. Standing up in front of her, he gave her a peck on the lips before getting down on one knee. Reaching into his left pocket, he took out the diamond ring he had chosen for her almost three months earlier. Holding it out in front of her, he looked into her eyes, seeing all her love for him shining in her eyes.

"Miley Stewart, my Destiny, will you _please_ marry me?"

A fresh batch of tears were already streaming down her face as she pulled him towards her, kissing him until they couldn't breathe and as she rested her forehead against his, both of them trying to catch their breath as she said, "yes."

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**That's it guys... this is THE END!**

**Again, sorry. I hope my writing hasn't gone down the drain after so long. I don't really know why I decided to sit down and write this for you guys today. Maybe it's because I'm taking a creative writing class this semester and it's got my creative juices flowing. Today showed me that I miss writing. Who knows... maybe I'll start writing again.**

**I do have a question though... how old are you guys? I want to know who my audience is for future reference. Just in case I do write another story... that way I know what kind of story to write.**

**Send me a review... let me know what you guys think. Was it worth the long wait? (I hope so!) and let me know how old you are! please and thank you!**


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